


The Ranger General and The Apprentice

by Tsilky



Series: The Dark Lady and The Mage [2]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:42:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23930101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsilky/pseuds/Tsilky
Summary: Jaina Proudmoore had her heart broken by the man she thought she would marry.Sylvanas Windrunner performed her duty as Ranger General of Silvermoon to the letter, always feeling like something was missing.On a trip to Silvermoon, Jaina would meet Sylvanas, sparking something new. The pieces she had thought irreparable would be slowly put back together.Prologue to Part 1, detailing the start of Jaina and Sylvanas' relationship.
Relationships: Jaina Proudmoore/Sylvanas Windrunner
Series: The Dark Lady and The Mage [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724953
Comments: 21
Kudos: 122





	1. New Beginnings

**Lordaeron City Palace**

The snow crunched under their feet as they moved away from the ball room, the two Humans walking side by side but not quite touching. The young woman looked over at her companion, wondering what thoughts were hiding behind his creased brow. She chose to wait for him to speak, not wishing to disturb what seemed to be very important thoughts.

They made for a striking pair, him in a golden and blue suit, shoulders embroidered with a roaring lion on one and the hammer of the Silver Hand on the other. She on the other hand, was garbed in a deep Kul-Tiran-green dress, open-shouldered with long sleeves. The neckline was lined with fur to protect against the cold and the skirt swept all the way to the ground, flowing out from her figure but not so overly large as to be unwieldy.

They’d spent a wonderful few weeks together for Winter Veil in the capital city of Lordaeron. She didn’t think she’d ever been happier, at least not that she could remember. However, she’d noticed his demeanour change in the last several days, becoming troubled and distant. She’d tried to press him for answers, but had received none. He would tell her when he was ready.

She watched as his hands entered the pockets on the side of his tunic, one of them fiddling with something within. Her eyes widened as her mind began racing at a million miles a minute. She could feel her heart start to pick up the pace and felt like it might beat out of her chest. He couldn’t be thinking of asking _that_ , could he? She wasn’t even sure what her answer would be. They were still so young and she was still studying in Dalaran, learning more every day. She was fairly certain she would have to give that up if she said yes, and even for him, she wasn’t sure if she could make that choice. She knew he would understand, whatever her answer may be.

He stopped and removed his hands from his pockets, both completely open, not taking out whatever object within. “Jaina.”

Jaina smiled up at him, “Yes, Arthas?” Her smile was met with a frown, Arthas unable to meet the young woman’s gaze as his eyes stared down at the ground in between them. Jaina’s smile faltered slightly at that, but did not disappear entirely.

“I…” Arthas was having trouble finding the right words to voice his thoughts. “Are we ready?”

Jaina’s confusion made itself obvious on her face, the corners of her lips falling down, “Ready for what?”

“Ready for _us._ ” Arthas turned completely away from her, leaning against the stone railing and absently brushing the snow from it. “We’re still so young. I don’t know if we’re ready… If _I’m_ ready.”

Jaina moved to his side, gently laying her smaller hand over his. “Maybe not right now. But we can get there together.” Arthas finally met her gaze, green locking onto blue. Jaina smiled even more brightly, though Arthas could see it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We can face anything together.”

The last word shivered through the cold winter air into Arthas’ very heart, even as he prepared to break it and Jaina’s in one fell swoop. “We’re not ready.” The finality in those words forced Arthas to break their eye contact and Jaina to withdraw her hand. He swallowed, every word feeling like a dagger piercing his soul, “You should focus on your studies in Dalaran, not on me. I need to focus on Lordaeron and how to be a good King.” He clenched his fingers around the railing. “We’re too young for this to go any further. We’re not ready.”

Jaina had taken a step back from Arthas, feeling her heart beating just as fast, but now for an entirely different reason. This hurt, more than anything she’d ever felt. Her elation had been dashed in a single instant. Her heart felt like it had shattered into a thousand shards of glass and all of them were stabbing into each other to cause her more pain than the rest. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes, a few escaping and falling down her cheeks, only to be frozen before they hit the ground. Every breath was torture, feeling as though her lungs were on fire and the only thing breathing was doing was fanning the flames.

Arthas remained facing away, not daring to look back lest his resolve fracture. This was necessary for the both of them. He knew he was right; they weren’t ready. Maybe at some point in the future, but not now.

The sorceress composed herself long enough to say only a few words, “If that is what you believe is best.” She began to turn away before facing him properly and dropping into a respectful curtsey, “Goodbye, Prince Menethil.” Jaina quickly turned away and walked off, resisting the urge to break out into a run to put as much distance between her and the man she had thought to marry. She didn’t turn back to see Arthas staring after her. She didn’t see the pain and grief that so mirrored her own etched into his expression. Tears fell down both their faces as they fully took in what had happened. They were finished.

Jaina moved through the ball room without a word to any of the nobles or guests present. Many of them tried to stop her, to see what could’ve possibly upset her so, but she pushed through, exiting the crowded space and making a beeline straight for her rooms within the palace. She would leave for Dalaran tonight if she had any say in it. She made it all the way back without servant or noble stopping her, slamming the door behind her.

Jaina turned to put her back to the door and slowly slid to the floor. She hugged her legs to her chest, letting everything out all at once. Sobs wracked her body and tears stained the front of her dress. She hiccupped as she drew painful breaths into herself, wiping away the tears as best she could. She continued like this for some time, finding herself staring at the far wall.

She felt numb. Her entire life had just fallen apart in front of her. Little was clear about where her future would take her, but Arthas had always been in it. They’d kept their relationship secret for the better part of it, only revealing it to the public in the last few months. She’d been welcomed by the people of Lordaeron with open arms and taken in by the royal family as one of their own. Jaina thought she would one day be Jaina Menethil and, eventually, Queen Jaina Menethil. Power had never been one of her life’s goals and the titles hadn’t been the reason she’d been with Arthas, but she couldn’t deny the allure of them.

Jaina had no idea how long she sat against the door, only snapping back to her body when the first rays of morning light filtered in through the window. She rose to her feet, moving about the room in a trance, collecting everything of hers and stuffing it into her trunk with little care. Very quickly, it was all packed, ready for transport back to Dalaran.

She hesitated as she reached for her staff, eyes catching onto the delicate bracelet fastened around her wrist. The diamonds reflected the light in beautiful patterns, the gold resplendent like the midday sun. It was one of the gifts Arthas had given her for Winter Veil, one of the golden links carved with a Kul Tiran anchor while the next had the shield, swords and hammer of Lordaeron. She’d been amazed at the intricacies of the piece of jewellery, shocked when she’d been told it had been forged and not made via magic. Arthas’ other gifts had been rare tomes, not something that immediately made her think of the man himself.

Jaina undid the clasp on the underside of her wrist, gently laying the jewellery onto the desk in the corner. She wrote a short letter for Arthas to find;

_Arthas,_

_I can’t keep this. It is too painful to look upon and reminds me too much of you and your love._

_If you think we are ever ready, return it to me. For now, I entrust it to your care and hopefully one day I will wear it again._

_Love, Jaina_

She couldn’t bear to look at it any longer, retrieving her staff and standing by her trunk. With a short incantation, a portal opened directly back to her rooms in Dalaran, the Human pulling her trunk through and letting the magical opening snap shut behind her.

* * *

**Dalaran**

**Five Months Later**

Jaina strolled down the streets of Dalaran back towards her quarters. It had been a long day with Antonidas, assisting the Arch Mage with various rituals and attempting to absorb as much of his knowledge as possible. It had been like this for months, ever since she’d returned from Lordaeron, broken and empty.

Antonidas had been very understanding, trying to tell Jaina she didn’t need to work so hard straight away, but the young woman would not be dissuaded. She needed a distraction from the thoughts of Arthas and diving back into her studies had proved to be the medicine she’d needed.

Kael’thas had of course attempted to comfort her in her pain, but only truly served to become an annoyance if anything. He no longer even attempted to hide his affection for Jaina, trying to win her over with gifts and promises of power if they were together. The Elf did not seem to understand that Jaina had absolutely zero interest in him in that way. He could’ve been an excellent mentor and teacher if it were not for his continued pursuit of her.

But, Kael’thas was beginning to break down her walls if the Human was honest. He was one of the only people in Dalaran who she could actually talk to. Most of the other Magi seemed either too busy with their own research or envious of Jaina’s position as the apprentice to Antonidas. Kael had the advantage that he was not strictly part of the Kirin Tor but had permission to move freely about the city and use its resources if he wished to. He often helped Jaina, sometimes to her chagrin. She couldn’t deny the usefulness of his help but it was always with his ulterior motive in mind.

Jaina felt a few beads of sweat roll down her forehead, wiping them away with the back of her hand. Summer had started early, her apprentice robes somewhat stifling in the full blast of the afternoon sun. The heavy bag over her shoulder and the staff strapped across her back didn’t exactly help matters, making this walk feel longer than it should. She came into sight of the building she called home, accelerating her pace towards it.

“Jaina!” She froze, only a few steps away from the door and peace and quiet. She’d just heard the one voice that she really didn’t want to.

The Human turned with a polite smile plastered onto her face. “Kael’thas. Didn’t see you there.”

The Elf luckily didn’t seem to notice that her smile was entirely fake, “Head always in the clouds.” His smile on the other hand was not. “I had a question I wanted to ask you.”

Jaina took a quick look around, the street still packed with people going about their business for the day. Asking Kael to leave her alone would lead to unwanted attention from everyone around her. She couldn’t risk word getting back to Antonidas that she had been rude or even at all negative towards their High Elven guest. Kael’thas unfortunately represented a great ally for the Kirin Tor and would be less than thrilled, possibly making things hard for Dalaran’s residents, if Jaina were to too harshly reject him.

Instead, she grit her teeth, “Of course. Please, come inside.”

Kael’thas followed Jaina inside the building all the way to her private quarters several floors above. Her status as the daughter of Kul Tiras’ ruler had afforded her much more lavish lodgings than other apprentices of her rank. She’d initially tried to refuse but her mother and the Kirin Tor had insisted she accept them. It unfortunately meant she lived alone and therefore, Kael had her at a significant disadvantage that he could do almost anything in her presence and none of it would come back to haunt him. Her, on the other hand, could do almost nothing, Kael’s word would trump hers if she tried to complain to anyone. He had so far been relatively respectful of her wishes, but she could tell her continued rejection was starting to get to him.

Jaina put down her bag, careful to keep some distance between her and the Elf, “What did you want to ask me?”

“Hmm?” Kael seemed distracted, slowly moving around the edge of her main room, only refocusing once he’d made a near full circuit, “Ah, yes, right.” To Jaina’s surprise, he stood up tall and made himself look as official as possible, “I wanted to ask if you would accompany me to Silvermoon.”

Jaina stared at him for several moments, waiting to see if he was actually serious. The Elf’s face betrayed no emotion, and Jaina wasn’t entirely certain how to respond. “Wh-wh-what would we do there?”

“Why, learn of course.” His smile was sincere. Jaina hoped that meant he didn’t intend for anything else to happen if she agreed to come with him, “Silvermoon has extensive libraries on every topic you could think of, along with some of the most powerful and knowledgeable mages on Azeroth. Certainly, more knowledgeable than the ones here, that’s for sure.”

Jaina narrowed her eyes at Kael’thas, stunned at his audacity to insult the mages of Dalaran. While she couldn’t deny the appeal of Silvermoon if what he said was true, she was turned off by his reckless disregard for the men and women she held in high esteem. “I’m sure the mages of the Kirin Tor are just as capable.” She kept most of the disdain out of her voice but deliberately left just enough in for Kael’thas to notice.

“Of course, do forgive my turn of phrase.” It was definitely not as innocent a comment as Kael attempted to make it seem. “I don’t want to see you waste your time here if there are new experiences and knowledge elsewhere.”

Jaina saw no sense in arguing the point any further. Kael’s thoughts on the mages of Dalaran weren’t going to be changed by her, that much was obvious. And angering the Elf would do no good either. “How long would I stay in Silvermoon?”

“Only a month at first, wouldn’t want to overwhelm you with all the city has to offer.”

She swallowed, trying to figure out if she could handle being that close to Kael for a whole month. The Silvermoon libraries were said to be one of the greatest repositories of knowledge on Azeroth and that included Dalaran’s own extensive collection. She also suspected Kael would let her peruse sections of those that she was forbidden from in Dalaran due to her relative inexperience. It was one of the very few complaints she had about Dalaran and the Kirin Tor, being constantly underestimated by everyone she met. She knew she was a powerful sorceress, but everyone here seemed to want to keep her down till she was ‘ready’. “Can I have some time to decide?”

Kael smiled and moved till he was extremely close to Jaina, less than a foot between them. She made no move to recoil, there wasn’t much point at this distance. He had a significant amount of height on her and could catch her if she tried to get away. As much as Jaina wouldn’t like to admit it, Kael was a more powerful mage than herself, at least for now. She wouldn’t win if he decided to use force, “Yes. Though I ask if you would decide quickly. There is a ball in a week’s time to celebrate the arrival of summer. It is quite spectacular and I’d hate for you to miss it.”

Jaina paled slightly at that, realising what Kael intended. She would be his ‘guest’ to the ball, the opportunity to introduce her as much more than she was to him. She’d have to play it incredibly carefully if she wanted to avoid the problems that could be caused by letting him run his mouth. “I’ll let you know by tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” Kael laid his hand gently on Jaina’s shoulder, “I look forward to it.” His hand came slightly off, ghosting over her cheek for an instant before pulling back. Kael nodded, quickly exiting Jaina’s rooms and leaving her to herself.

Jaina waited till he was gone before making sure her door was locked and retreating to her bedroom. She fell backwards onto the soft pillows, staring up at the ceiling. She had a difficult decision to make. On one hand, she genuinely did want to go to Silvermoon. Tales of the city fascinated her to no end, and if both the libraries and the mages there were as Kael’thas had described them, she could learn a great deal in a very short amount of time. On the other… Kael would likely be even bolder with his pursuit of Jaina in his own city. She would almost definitely be staying in his actual home, and would either have to be very careful to stay away from the man himself or find alternate lodgings as soon as she could while staying in Silvermoon. She knew no one from the city aside from Kael’thas himself, so there wasn’t even a friend she could stay with. Jaina had the gold and influence to pay for any sort of accommodation, but she hoped she wouldn’t have to go down that avenue.

In the end, Jaina decided to go to Silvermoon with Kael. The benefits of visiting the city far outweighed the negatives. She’d have to get permission from Antonidas, but that wouldn’t be particularly difficult. She’d phrase it to him just as Kael had to her, that this was for furthering her magical education, no matter what other ideas Kael had for her time in the Elven city.

* * *

**Dalaran**

**5 Days Later**

Jaina stood on the outskirts of Dalaran, waiting for Kael’thas to arrive. As she suspected, it had not been difficult to convince Antonidas to let her go to Silvermoon for a month. He’d seen the value in the trip and that the city would expand her horizons in both magic and in the difference in culture between Dalaran and Silvermoon. He didn’t seem to be aware of Kael’s interest in Jaina as anything but a student, which would’ve been a far harder sell than the educational side of the trip had been.

A portal opened nearby, Kael stepping out of it and immediately noticing Jaina. He approached with a smile, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. She returned it to avoid the awkwardness that would follow if she did not. “All set to go?”

She hoisted her pack onto her shoulder with one hand and lifted her larger case with the other, “Ready.” Kael didn’t offer to help even a little. She frowned at that, recalling arriving in Lordaeron all those months ago and the first thing Arthas had done was offer help with her luggage. Jaina shook her head, banishing the thoughts from her mind. She didn’t need or want to think about Arthas right now. The wound was still too raw.

As it were, Kael opened the portal to Silvermoon, only a thick wood visible through the magical gateway. Jaina rolled her eyes, knowing Kael intended to present Silvermoon in all its splendour in some ridiculous showy way. “After you, my lady.” She stepped through, followed soon after by the High Elf.

**Silvermoon Outskirts**

Jaina looked around, seeing no sign at all of the city of Silvermoon. They had arrived on a road in the middle of a dense wood, nothing visible in either direction. She rounded on Kael’thas in anger, preparing to launch into a screaming match with him when she noticed the grin on his face. “What?”

Jaina’s brow creased, “Where. Are. We?”

“The outskirts of Silvermoon. I didn’t want to deprive you of seeing the city in all its glory. Teleporting straight to my estate would’ve been a bit lacklustre.” He didn’t seem to understand Jaina’s anger at their current situation.

She tried to calm down, closing her eyes and breathing in and out a few times, “And am I supposed to carry my things all the way there by myself?” She realised her tone made her seem like a spoiled child, but she had packed nearly all of the clothes she owned along with the rest of her things. Her rooms in Dalaran looked extremely bare compared to what they normally did. She’d only really left her furniture behind now that she thought about it. She’d even brought three spare staves, currently stowed away in her large case.

Her words snapped him out of the self-important aura that seemed to follow him everywhere, “Of course not.” He opened another portal, a High Elf stepping through and giving him a stiff bow, not even sparing a glance for Jaina. “Take Lady Proudmoore’s luggage to her rooms.”

“Yes, Prince Sunstrider.” The High Elf turned his nose up at Jaina, but took her case and pack without complaint, stepping back through the portal. It snapped shut behind him, Jaina being left in a somewhat worse mood.

“Well, he was a bundle of sunshine.”

Kael laughed, “He’s always been a bit morbid for my taste, but he does as he’s told. And if he doesn’t… well he doesn’t want that.” A dark look passed over the Elf’s face before disappearing just as quickly as it had come. “Right, Silvermoon is this way.”

They set a brisk pace, Jaina feeling the sweat start to bead on her brow, even with the protection the canopy above them gave from the sun. Kael though, showed no discomfort, far more used to this weather than Jaina. She was used to the relatively temperate Dalaran and her home in Kul Tiras. While Dalaran itself still got the full range of seasons, Kul Tiras was rainy for most of the year and downright freezing in winter, though snow did not make a habit of appearing. The kingdom of Quel’Thalas on the other hand, was humid and hot. Jaina was beginning to wish she’d worn a cooler set of robes; her current apprentice attire was fine for Dalaran’s summer but were currently feeling stifling.

After a far shorter time than Jaina was expecting, the walls of Silvermoon made themselves visible through the trees. Shining white stone with gold and red accents. They still couldn’t fully see them, but Jaina was impressed by what she could see. They drew ever closer, Kael’thas slowing his stride and his Human companion matching him. Jaina was thankful for the change of pace, desiring more time to take in the architecture as well as try to slow the rising sheen of sweat that was accumulating on her skin.

They finally broke through the trees to Silvermoon, Jaina’s mouth falling open at the sight. Silvermoon was more beautiful than she’d been expecting, towers rising over the walls with elegant spires rising even further above those. The walls, which she’d been expecting to at least be able to _see_ some sort of method of construction, were completely smooth. If they had been constructed in multiple parts, as most buildings on Azeroth were, they did not show it, seamless everywhere. One more thing to study while she was here.

Kael’thas looked upon Jaina with a smile, satisfied with her reaction, “Lady Jaina Proudmoore, welcome to Silvermoon.”

Jaina followed Kael in a daze, strolling through the front gates and gazing at everything she could see. They moved through the streets, High Elves greeting their Prince and her. Jaina could only offer a polite nod in return, a little too overstimulated by Silvermoon itself to manage anything more. They approached a small building, Kael holding the door for her and following her through once she’d moved inside.

Jaina stood stock still near the door. They were not alone in the room. Two female High Elves stood on the far side, facing away from them and leaning over a table. One had stark white hair, flowing down her back, garbed in royal blue armour and cloak. The other had her hood up, only her ears poking through the deep brown fabric.

Both women turned at the sound of the door closing, allowing Jaina to get a better look at them. The white-haired one smiled at her in greeting, blue eyes sparkling with kindness.

The other first looked at Kael’thas, the look that passed over her face summed up Jaina’s own feelings for the prince. Jaina couldn’t tear her eyes away from this one, even though she knew she was staring. The second High Elf had long golden hair, flowing like a waterfall over her shoulders and piled up in the hood she wore over her head. The tan leather she wore on her body was accented with blue-green armour pieces, but left her midriff exposed, similar to Jaina’s own clothing. The exposed skin was tight with muscle, tanned to a golden glow. Her eyes were the deepest blue the mage had ever seen, radiating regality but without the arrogance that most who actually were royalty had. They pierced through Jaina’s instantly, measuring her entirely in a single second. What this Elf found must’ve been at least somewhat to her liking, a dazzling smile breaking over her face.

This High Elf, simply put, was the most beautiful woman Jaina had ever seen.

“Jaina, I’d like you to meet Vereesa Windrunner and her sister, Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner. This is Lady Jaina Proudmoore.”

Jaina snapped herself out of a trance when she saw the look on Kael’s face out of the corner of her eye. She immediately curtsied as politely as she could, “Pleasure to make your acquaintances.”

The sisters shared a brief look. Vereesa returned Jaina’s formal gesture, bowing deeply, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Proudmoore.”

Sylvanas on the other hand, reacted extremely differently to her sister. She slowly approached Jaina, Kael raising an eyebrow as she did. She gently took Jaina’s hand, raising it to her lips and planting a feather-light kiss on a knuckle. Jaina felt her face heat up in response, Sylvanas’ lips curling up at the sight, holding Jaina’s attention with an intense gaze, “The pleasure is all mine.” Her voice was like honey, sweet and rich, with just a hint of music in each syllable. Jaina found herself wanting to hear more.

Kael’thas coughed, Sylvanas’ eyes briefly flashing with something akin to annoyance before she let Jaina’s hand fall back to her side. Jaina couldn’t have said anything even if she had wanted to. Her mouth had gone completely dry and was currently incapable of anything that even resembled speech.

Before Kael’thas could utter another word, the door behind them slammed open, a man rushing to Kael’s side and whispering something into his ear. He sighed, whispering something back before the other Elf left. He turned to Jaina, “I had planned to give you a tour of the city, but there is something that requires my attention. Vereesa, would you be so kind as to show Lady Proudmoore around Silvermoon?”

“I’ll do it.” Sylvanas spoke up before her sister had a chance. Kael seemed displeased with her offer, narrowing his eyes at her, “Who better than the Ranger General to show our guest the finest our great city has to offer?” Sylvanas looked to be challenging Kael to go against her. Jaina remained silent, not wishing to get in the middle of some sort of power struggle that seemed to be going on between Ranger General and Prince.

To Jaina’s amazement, Kael backed down. “Very well.” Jaina looked between the two, stunned at what had transpired. She had never met anyone who’d managed to get Kael’thas to back down from anything he wanted, that unfortunately including Jaina herself. The man was so used to getting everything he desired that most didn’t even argue, and now, here was this woman, and she had shut him down with barely two sentences. He turned to Jaina, “I’ll see you at my estate tonight then.” He grabbed her hand, mirroring Sylvanas’ actions with a kiss to her fingers before walking out the door. His movement had been far rougher than his female counterpart, and Jaina was left rubbing at her hand lightly.

“You know he’s going to get you back for this, right?” Vereesa’s voice was teasing, smiling at her sister.

Sylvanas scoffed, “What’s he going to do? Bar me from social events? Our dear Prince Sunstrider is as toothless as he is insufferable.” Vereesa laughed loudly at Sylvanas’ summing up of Kael’thas. The Ranger General turned to Jaina, a cheerful, sincere smile spreading over her face, “Now, I believe I promised you a tour of Silvermoon, Lady Proudmoore.”

Sylvanas offered her arm, the sorceress hesitating for a moment before linking her own through. The Ranger General led her outside onto the busy streets of late-morning Silvermoon.


	2. The Tour

**Silvermoon City**

**Day 1 of Jaina’s Visit**

Jaina remained silent as they walked away from the building, trying to not embarrass herself in front of the Ranger General. The tall Elf moved with such grace it was as though she floated across the ground. Jaina stole glances at her guide, trying to figure out why she’d leapt at the chance to give her a tour of the city. It seemed odd for the leader of the Rangers of Silvermoon to have the time or the inclination to give an unimportant guest such as herself the time of day, let alone a full tour of the city.

“How long are you staying in Silvermoon?”

Jaina jumped slightly at the voice, snapped back out of her thoughts, “A month, Lady Windrunner.”

The High Elf laughed, “No need to be so formal. You can call me Sylvanas, if you like. Frankly I get enough of the titles from everyone else and I would hate for a guest to have to worry about them as well.”

“I…” The words fell silent on Jaina’s lips. “You can call me Jaina,” She quickly added, “If you like, I mean you don’t have to, but if you want…”

“Jaina it is.” Sylvanas glanced at Jaina, a grin on her face from the blush she’d managed to bring to the mage's, “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

Jaina opened and closed her mouth several times trying to come up with a response to the compliment. She couldn’t help the smile or the blush on her face, and she knew it wasn’t to do with her surroundings. She nodded her thanks instead of words, not entirely trusting her voice at this moment.

They continued down the wide street, Jaina’s eyes scanning the buildings with great interest. “Tell me, what did Kael’thas invite you to Silvermoon for?”

“To study in the libraries and learn from the mages here. He said I could learn about anything and everything here.”

“Mmm, that is true. I’ve often found myself spending hours there.”

Jaina perked up at that, “Really? Reading what?”

“Anything and everything.” Sylvanas winked as confusion crossed with slight annoyance spread across Jaina’s features. She waited a few moments before answering properly, “I’m particularly fond of grand tales of magical feats. Not exactly adept at magic myself, so aside from talking to Kael’thas and his lot, that’s the next best thing.”

Jaina turned to look at Sylvanas properly, relying on the Elf to not lead her into anything while she talked, an excited smile on her face, “I can show you. I’m only an apprentice, but I’m far ahead of everyone else in my position.” She screwed her face up in a scowl, “Even if some don’t believe it.”

“Underappreciated and consistently underestimated? Sounds familiar.”

Jaina nodded enthusiastically, “Some of the mages in Dalaran still treat me like a child. I’ll admit, I was one when I started there, but now… sometimes it’s like I still am.”

“You just have to do something that forces everyone to respect you.” Sylvanas thought for a moment, “Though I doubt what I had in mind would work.”

“And what was that?”

Sylvanas flashed her a conspiratorial grin, “Demand respect under the threat that you’ll shoot them with an arrow. Or in your case an ice lance or something.”

Jaina burst into laughter at the suggestion, Sylvanas unable to contain her own at the same time. “And that would work?”

“Oh, trust me, it works.”

Jaina’s laughter died down as her face paled slightly, “You shot someone for that?”

“No, no, of course not. What kind of Ranger General would I be if I went around shooting citizens?” Sylvanas turned a corner, eyes already on their first destination, “It’s the _threat_ of an arrow that got them. Also, the fact that I can hit an apple from three hundred metres away.”

“That’s... that’s very impressive.”

Sylvanas smiled, “Thank you.” She led Jaina to a building on the side of one of Silvermoon’s wide streets, “Are you hungry, Jaina?”

Before she could answer, Jaina’s stomach rumbled loudly, Sylvanas’ keen hearing picking up the sound. She stopped walking completely, avoiding her Elven guide’s gaze. “Ahem... yes. I was too nervous to eat before I left Dalaran this morning.”

Sylvanas’ expression darkened as her voice took on a sharp edge, “Yes... Kael’thas does tend to have that effect on women.” Before Jaina could question what she meant by that, the Ranger General brightened back up, “You’ll love the food here. I try to come whenever I have a free morning, which admittedly isn't very often.”

A small bell above the door rung merrily as Sylvanas held it open for Jaina to move inside. The smell of fresh out of the oven bread and ripe fruit immediately filled the mage’s senses, breathing deep of their pleasant aroma. A High Elf from behind the counter rushed over to them as quick as she possibly could, bowing slightly to Sylvanas, “Ranger General, what can I get for you?”

“Table for two, if you would be so kind.”

“Of course.” She led the two of them to the back of the room, a low table surrounded by plush cushions backing onto a bay window. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”

Sylvanas removed the bow and quiver from over her shoulder, laying them down to the side before sitting on one of the cushions. Jaina hesitated for a moment before her staff was lying next to the Elf’s weapon and she was sitting opposite her. “You didn’t order anything.”

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t I?” As if on cue, the proprietor of the restaurant returned, laying down several platters covered in an assortment of breads, pastries and fruits. Next came a nearly overflowing jug wine, its strength not nearly offset by its sweet aroma. “See?”

Jaina didn’t know where to start. The table they were sitting at, while small, was completely covered, the wood of its construction invisible through the metal of the trays. It was far more than the two of them could eat as well, unless she was wrong about how much High Elves ate. She’d had, frankly rather uncomfortable, meals with Kael before and he’d seemed to eat around the same amount as a Human man his size.

“Isn’t this a little much for the two of us?” Jaina thought to ask the question. She was in Silvermoon to learn after all, even if High Elf eating habits weren’t exactly part of the original lesson plan.

“Indeed.” Sylvanas reached up and pulled the hood off her head, shaking her hair out to flow down her back. “But you are a guest and you are here to learn, therefore, why not partake in the finer things Silvermoon has to offer? And before you say anything, no, this will not go to waste.”

Jaina held a pastry in her hands taking small bites, but found herself transfixed on the golden locks spilling over Sylvanas’ shoulders and down her back. It reached all the way to her waist, pooling on the ground like the molten gold it resembled. “You have… a lot of hair.” Jaina immediately cringed when the words passed her lips.

Sylvanas brushed it over one shoulder, looking between her own and Jaina’s relatively short hair. The Human’s still reached past her shoulders, but had nothing on the sheer volume of Sylvanas’, “I suppose I do. I don’t often remove my hood when I’m not at home so I never really notice. It apparently distracts some people when I have it all out.” She raised an eyebrow as Jaina avoided her gaze, focusing on the food in front of her. Sylvanas was tempted to call the Human out on her obvious attempt to hide her own distraction with her hair, but decided to spare her the embarrassment. She could tell there would be plenty of opportunities to bring that redness to Jaina’s cheeks, she didn’t need to take every single one.

Jaina remained silent for a few minutes, filling her belly with the rich feast in front of her. She hadn’t lied when she’d said she’d been too nervous to eat in Dalaran this morning. She would have to ask why Sylvanas had the opinion of Kael that she did, but now didn’t seem like the right time. They were both in a good mood, and it would only bring both their spirits down talking about the Prince.

A surprising amount of food had disappeared from the table by the time they were both finished, Jaina suddenly noticing that Sylvanas had cleared away at least twice the amount she’d managed herself. The mage finally broke the comfortable silence, “What does the Ranger General… do, exactly?”

Sylvanas smiled as she called over the owner of the establishment and exchanged a few whispered words before answering, “Simply put, I defend the city from any threat that may come upon us. With the help of the other Rangers of course.”

Jaina saw an opportunity and took it, a wide grin spreading over her face, “Oh? You don’t do it single-handedly? I must’ve been misinformed of your skills.”

Sylvanas leaned forward slightly, gazing up through her eyelashes, half-whispering, “Oh trust me, my skills more than live up to the legends.”

Jaina swallowed, feeling her cheeks start to burn even more furiously under the intensity of Sylvanas’ gaze. Sylvanas was good, flipping the tables on her without even missing a step. Jaina made it her mission right then and there to catch the Ranger General off-guard, somehow, someway.

The mage was saved by the other High Elf returning, handing Sylvanas a large basket, Jaina assuming it contained the rest of the food they’d been unable to devour. They’d gone through far more than Jaina had expected, but it still left a significant amount. It would easily do for a midday meal, if that was what Sylvanas intended for it. “Ready to continue the tour?”

Sylvanas once more offered her arm, Jaina quickly retrieving her staff before taking it. The Elf led them both back onto the streets, even busier than they had been when they’d left them. Sylvanas definitely had a destination in mind, directing Jaina through the streets with purpose.

They soon arrived, Sylvanas’ gait slowing as they approached a large tower at the very edge of the city if Jaina’s estimation was correct. Sylvanas dropped Jaina’s arm, moving to the door and opening it to the inside. “After you.”

“Thank you.” Jaina walked inside, stopping the moment she’d passed the threshold of the door. A few Rangers sat in various seats around the room, kicking their feet up on other chairs next to them, seemingly asleep or at least dozing. Jaina remained where she was, not wanting to disturb the rest these Elves probably needed.

Sylvanas turned from closing the door, her expression darkening the moment she beheld the Rangers within the room. She almost called out to disturb them all, but thought better of it, approaching one of them from behind, bending down and putting her mouth within an inch of his ear. “NATHANOS!”

The man leapt to his feet, spinning in place and nearly falling onto the floor at the sudden yell. “Ranger General!” He straightened up as quick as he could, avoiding Sylvanas’ slightly annoyed gaze as he stared up at the ceiling. Every other Ranger stood from where they’d been half asleep, backs as straight as the arrows in their quivers.

Jaina cocked her head at the man in front of Sylvanas. She was incredible surprised to see a Human dressed as one of the Rangers of Silvermoon. She had thought that only Elves were permitted entry into those prestigious ranks. She’d have to ask Sylvanas about that, just one more thing to learn while she was here.

“I see that everyone is nice and well rested.” The Rangers shifted from foot to foot awkwardly in front of their General. “Now, I believe you all have bodyguard duty in six-hourly rotating shifts for our great Prince Sunstrider.” They all groaned at the sentence, exchanging woeful glances and trying to decide who would be the first to be punished. “However…” They all looked hopefully at the golden-haired High Elf, “Lady Proudmoore, what do you think their punishment should be for ignoring their duties?”

Jaina balked at being asked her opinion. She managed to stammer out, “Uhhh, does Prince Sunstrider need bodyguards? Perhaps watch him from afar rather than protect his actual person?” She did her best to lessen the interaction that the Rangers would be forced into with Kael'thas. It’s what she hoped would be done if she was in their position. The less time she spent around Kael at the moment, the better.

Sylvanas smiled, seemingly please with her answer, “Sounds good to me. Nathanos, you first.” The Rangers filed out of the room, mouthing their silent thanks to the mage. “Now, that that’s out of the way, we come to the reason I brought you here.” She led Jaina up the stairs in the corner of the room, climbing the inside of the tower for some time. They finally reached a door at the top, Sylvanas pulling a key from somewhere on her armour and unlocking the door. Unlike the one at the bottom, she did not hold it open, instead leaving it closed and moving behind Jaina. She placed her hands over the Human’s eyes, Jaina stiffening slightly at the sudden contact. “Do you want to see the best view Silvermoon has to offer?”

Jaina nodded, “Definitely. But are the hands over my eyes necessary?”

“If you truly want to see it, you need to be in a specific spot. Do you trust me?”

Jaina swallowed. Despite having only met the High Elf a few hours ago, she trusted her completely. It wasn’t due to her rank; it was something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on yet. At least not something she was prepared to admit to herself. “Yes.”

“Then yes, they’re necessary.” She reached one hand forward, pushing the door at the top of the stairs open, “No peeking now.” Sylvanas led the blind mage out of the stairwell and onto thankfully flat ground. They slowly moved forward, Sylvanas reaching forward and pushing another door open, the late morning breeze fluttering against Jaina’s exposed midriff. They were outside, she could tell that much. That also meant they were incredibly high up, if they stairs they had to take to get here were any indication. “There’s a bannister in front of you.”

Jaina reached out, closing her hands around sun-warmed stone. She could feel the ornate shape the bannister had been carved into, typical of High Elven architecture. “It’s a bit cliché, but are we there yet?”

Sylvanas chuckled, “Almost, one more step to the right. Keep your eyes shut for a moment.” She gently placed her hands on Jaina’s shoulders, moving the Human into the perfect position. She reached just a little bit further up, ghosting her fingers over Jaina’s slender neck before softly turning her head with the lightest touch, “And… there. Open.”

Jaina kept her eyes shut for a few seconds more, building the suspense just that little more. Ever so slowly, her eyelids fluttered open, taking in the scene in front of her. A small gasp came from her lips at the view. Stretched out in front of her was the entirety of Silvermoon. Every shining white stone surface lit up by the morning sun from above, nearly sparkling from the rays. She could see from the eastern walls all the way across to the west. They were situated somewhere in the south of Silvermoon, near to the main gates that Kael had led her through just that morning. None of what she’d seen of Silvermoon since had prepared her for this.

“It’s beautiful.” There was no other word to describe this view, but even that felt like it fell far short of describing this view. Sylvanas had perfectly angled her gaze to take in the entire city at once. It occurred to her how high up they truly were, even higher than the steps they’d climbed should have allowed. Jaina leaned a little over the bannister in front of her, shocked to see that they were in fact on a floating platform, high above the tower they’d climbed. “How did we get up here?”

Sylvanas grinned widely, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“A portal.” It was the only possible suggestion that made the tiniest bit of sense.

“Indeed.”

Jaina’s brow creased as she thought about it, “But… we didn’t go through any. I would’ve noticed it. Unless… that’s the real reason you covered my eyes.” She narrowed her eyes at the smiling High Elf, “The portal was behind that door you unlocked.”

“You’ve caught me.” Sylvanas moved to stand next to Jaina properly, laying her hands on the railing, her right barely a hair’s breadth away from Jaina’s left. She gestured out across the city with her left hand, not daring to move her right. “I never get tired of this view. It always gives me clarity.”

Jaina cocked her head at the Elf. Sylvanas’ tone had shifted, the jovial tone she’d been taking before dissipating, not completely gone, but definitely dulled. It was replaced by a deeper, more personal lilt to her voice. She couldn’t help but ask, “Clarity?”

Sylvanas seemed to realise what she’d said, avoiding Jaina’s gaze and hiding her face with the hood of her cloak. Why had she said that? She barely knew this Human, and that particular memory was not something she’d ever told anyone about, least of all someone she’d only just met. Sylvanas was almost tempted to divulge what she’d meant, but decided this wasn’t something Jaina needed or even should know. After all, she’d be gone in a month, and Sylvanas would likely never see her again. Sharing as personal a memory as that wasn’t something she wanted to burden Jaina’s time here with. “It lets me see what I’m protecting. What I’ve devoted my life to.” That was all she could say without going into the memory.

Jaina looked back out over the city, nodding her understanding, “It’s probably not the same, but in Dalaran, if you go to the very top of the Violet Citadel, there’s a view like this one. You can feel the magic coming from the city. I was terrified when I first arrived in the city, but that view… it made it all come together. And I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

Sylvanas turned her head and found herself unable to stop staring at Jaina. The mage didn’t seem to notice, Sylvanas especially glad as she could feel her cheeks start to heat up slightly. The High Elf tore her gaze away, shaking her head, a million thoughts rushing through her head. _No. Not her. She’s not yours, and she never will be._

The Ranger General pointed across the city to a regal looking building in the far north, “That’s Kael’thas’ estate if you were wondering. It is rather nice, excellent gardens.” If Jaina noticed how Sylvanas had changed the subject, she was polite enough not to say anything. Sylvanas’ ears drooped slightly at that, almost wanting to be called out. When nothing happened, she continued on the course, “He had planned to hold the ball for the arrival of summer there, but a few other nobles talked him out of it.” She pointed instead to a building further to the west, “It will be held in the royal palace, as is tradition. I assume he’s told you about it.”

Jaina smiled, “He has, though only that it was occurring and he wanted me to attend with him.” She paused, considering her next words. She’d need to be careful, “You don’t have a particularly high opinion of Prince Sunstrider, do you?”

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow, interested to see where this was going, “I’ll admit he’s not my favourite person.” If what she suspected about Jaina and Kael’thas was true, she needed to be careful.

“Even going so far as to use protecting him as punishment for your Rangers?”

The Elf laughed, “That was more to annoy Kael’thas than punish my Rangers, I’ll admit. He is of the opinion that he does not need bodyguards, and he is mostly correct. Few would dare to attack him, given his magical ability. But if he were to be attacked, it would make me look bad for not being able to protect him from such things. Defender of Silvermoon that I am.” Sylvanas was glad that her change of subject wasn’t being received as negatively as she’d feared. “A Ranger watching him from afar, especially one he doesn’t know is there, is much better. You actually read my mind on that one.”

“That makes sense. Wouldn’t want to risk his wrath, even for something as small as protecting his life.” Jaina smiled inwardly, trying to stop herself from bursting out laughing at Sylvanas’ practical yet hilarious approach to the protection of her city’s ruler. She was amazed that her idea was exactly the same as Sylvanas’.

They stood together for several minutes, enjoying the view and, though neither would admit it, the other’s company. Sylvanas eventually broke the silence, “Ready to continue with your tour?”

“Definitely.”

* * *

**Prince Sunstrider’s Estate, Silvermoon City**

**Day 1 of Jaina’s Visit**

Jaina and Sylvanas ambled towards the main building of Kael’thas’ estate, their pace ever slowing as they drew closer to the front doors. The sun had set an hour ago, Sylvanas ensuring they’d returned to the tower she’d taken Jaina to that morning to witness it. It had been a truly breathtaking sight.

Sylvanas had not seen a single moment of it, too enraptured with Jaina’s reaction. Even with all her attempts to force herself to stop looking at Jaina, while she’d succeeded at every other turn, she’d been unsuccessful at that moment. She’d deliberately stayed a step behind the Human to prevent her from seeing Sylvanas’ unrelenting gaze, and that was for the best. They barely knew each other, and Sylvanas was acting as though she was about to get under Jaina’s robes. Luckily, the mage hadn’t noticed her inappropriate behaviour or at least hadn’t recognised it for what it was. Sylvanas needed to get the Human from her mind, lest she do something stupid and incur the Prince’s wrath upon herself. She definitely didn’t need that pain.

“Thank you for the tour Sylvanas. I doubt anyone could’ve given it better.” Jaina’s wide smile shone in the darkness, “Silvermoon is truly a magnificent city. And I might have to go up that tower again. I can see it being a wonderful place to sit and read.”

Sylvanas laughed, “I can’t say it’s ever really been used for anything other than observing the city from above, but you are welcome to use it whenever you like, just let me know.”

Jaina took half a step towards the front doors of Kael’thas’ estate, before turning her body back to fully face Sylvanas, “I was just wondering… will you be at the ball in a few days?”

The words came out before Sylvanas could stop them, “Do you want me to be?” Jaina nodded somewhat hesitantly, unsure of why she was even asking the question in the first place. Sylvanas couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face, “Then I shall be there.”

Jaina was relieved to hear that, “Great, I’ll-”

The door to the estate opened, a shadowy figure stepping into the doorway, lit from behind. Kael’thas took the few steps down to the ground proper, standing not exactly between the two women but separating them nonetheless, “Jaina, you’ve returned. I trust Ranger General Windrunner gave a satisfactory tour of Silvermoon?”

Jaina instantly recognised Kael’s dismissive tone, “It was excellent. Silvermoon is truly a sight to behold.” She turned her full attention back to Sylvanas, curtsying to her, “Thank you, Lady Windrunner. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Sylvanas bowed to Jaina, also ignoring Kael’thas, “It was my pleasure, Lady Proudmoore. Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to make you feel welcome in our city.” She turned her head to Kael, the smile on her face lessening as she took in his annoyed expression. She stared straight back, not backing down an inch, inclining her head slightly, “Prince Sunstrider.” She turned on her heel, disappearing into the darkness.

Kael waited till he was sure Sylvanas was out of earshot before turning to Jaina, “Apologies I could not give the tour myself.” He moved inside the estate and close the door once Jaina had followed, “There are unfortunately many matters that require my personal attention as the Prince of Silvermoon. I’m sure you understand with your experience.”

Jaina was well aware he was referring to Arthas, but chose not to mention it, “That’s quite all right. The Ranger General’s tour was amazing. Silvermoon is greater than I ever dreamed.”

Kael reigned himself in slightly from saying what he wanted to, “Yes… I’m sure her tour was everything you hoped.” The dark expression on his face came and went almost as quickly, now smiling down at Jaina, “I was just having a small supper prepared, if you would like to join me?”

Jaina could see the hope in Kael’s eyes, as well as the fact that it was meant as a command more than a question. He intended for this to be an entrée into something else entirely, she was sure. If it had been a few months ago, she may have accepted. Even if it was earlier that day if she was honest. But not now. “Would it be alright if I retired to my room? I’m quite tired after today.”

The High Elf’s cheek twitched slightly, but he did not try to convince Jaina otherwise, “Of course, right this way. Your belongings were brought there this morning.”

He led Jaina through several long hallways, Jaina making a mental map of the estate for future reference. She did not fancy the idea of being unable to leave if she desired to. They soon came to tall, ornate double doors, Kael’thas pushing them both open into a large bedroom, in a High Elven style but significantly more opulent than the norm, Jaina was sure. Jaina knew Kael intended this to impress her, but having been surrounded by such finery all her life, it was simply a place to sleep and maybe study to her, nothing more. “Thank you.”

Kael walked up to Jaina, invading her personal space and standing a little too close for her comfort. “I’ll see you tomorrow then Jaina.” He leant down, planting a soft kiss against her cheek before retreating from the room, swinging both doors shut behind him, “Goodnight.”

Jaina waited until she was sure he was gone before letting out a sigh of relief. She set her staff down on top of the case she’d brought before falling backwards onto the large bed. She stared at the ceiling above it, “One day down, twenty-nine to go.”


	3. Preparing for the Ball

**Prince Sunstrider’s Estate, Silvermoon City**

**Day 1 of Jaina’s Visit**

“It was my pleasure Lady Proudmoore. Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to make you feel welcome in our city. Prince Sunstrider.”

Sylvanas turned on her heel, marching away from Jaina and Kael’thas. She could feel both of their eyes boring into her back, for completely different reasons. She moved as quickly as she could without actually breaking into a run. The darkness soon swallowed her, quickly exiting Kael’s estate and moving onto the streets of Silvermoon.

She barely saw them as she moved, passing through the streets on auto-pilot, moving nearer to her home. She could feel her heart nearly beating out of her chest, heavy breaths forcing themselves in and out. High Elves made to greet her as she passed, Sylvanas seeing none of them.

Sylvanas abruptly ducked into an alley, moving far enough to be enshrouded by the shadows of the buildings above. She stopped moving, sitting against the wall with hands on her knees, trying to contain her breathing and slow her heart rate.

“Fuck...” She breathed the expletive out, a perfect description for the thoughts currently running through her head. Why the hell had she said yes? She never went to those stupid events, even when it was technically required of her. Vereesa always went in her stead if anything. All they ever ended up being was the ‘elite’ of Silvermoon asking her for favours and offering almost nothing in return. Or asking far too personal questions, mostly around her current marital status. They didn’t seem to care that she’d made it very clear she had no intention of marrying anyone, let alone one of the uppity nobles of Silvermoon. Even Kael’thas had pursued her at one point, and that had taken quite some convincing to tell him no.

Her answer had all come down to a single person. Jaina. Someone she barely knew. A Human she’d literally only met that day. Before today, she hadn’t even heard of the mage. In actual fact, she’d only read about Kul Tiras, the place that Jaina was essentially a Princess of.

And now, here Sylvanas was, hunched over in an alley of her city trying to calm her emotions from a single day spent with this woman. Really a girl, with Sylvanas having at least a century of age over her. A child in comparison. But that wasn’t quite true either. Jaina was definitely more worldly than any High Elf was at her age. Certainly, more mature than Sylvanas herself had been.

Why had Jaina had this effect on her? Sylvanas had barely even known her for a day, and already she’d broken through several walls that the Ranger General normally kept up around herself. And Sylvanas was certain that hadn’t been Jaina’s intention at all. She was simply being friendly and taking a genuine interest in the city of Silvermoon.

If she was honest with herself, Sylvanas had mostly offered to show Jaina around Silvermoon because she knew it would piss off Kael’thas, something she tried to do as often as possible. The Ranger General and Prince had never seen eye to eye on a single issue, and generally argued whenever they were near one another. Sylvanas tried to ensure she always won those battles. But maybe there was another reason in the back of her mind for it. She couldn’t deny how beautiful she thought Jaina was.

_No._ The word echoed through Sylvanas’ mind. That was an incredibly dangerous line of thinking. One she could never act on. Doing things to annoy Kael’thas was one thing, but attempting to steal the woman he was so obviously enraptured by was a step too far even for Sylvanas. She’d need to do something to get Jaina off her mind. She groaned inwardly, realising there was nothing she could do about avoiding Jaina for at least some of the rest of her visit. Sylvanas has promised the young mage that she’d be at the ball, and Sylvanas was nothing if not a woman of her word. Once given, it was an ironclad promise. After that though, she would do her best to avoid Jaina at all costs. This wasn’t something she needed getting in her way.

“Sylvanas?” The Ranger General jumped at a voice, head snapping to the source. Vereesa strode slowly into the alley Sylvanas has sequestered herself in, eyebrow raised and a question look on her face, “What are you doing?”

“N-nothing.” Sylvanas managed to stammer out, quickly straightening up and marching out of the alley back on to the street.

Vereesa quickly ran after her sister, falling into stride beside her, “Hunched over in the dark for no reason?”

“Yes, exactly.” Sylvanas snapped at Vereesa in response.

The silver-haired High Elf glanced at her sister, studying her expression. She knew her sister better than anyone, and could definitely tell when something was troubling her or anything was the matter. And there was definitely something Sylvanas wasn’t telling her. The Ranger General was doing her best to school her face to one of complete neutrality, that much was obvious. That sort of thing would work on almost anyone else, but not on Vereesa. The younger Elf smiled to herself, realising exactly what Sylvanas was thinking about.

Sylvanas stopped walking, turning to her sister, hands on her hips, “Okay, what is it?”

“What ever do you mean Lady Moon?” Vereesa crossed her arms over her chest, her grin irritating her sister to no end, her face twitching ever so slightly at the sight of it.

“I know that look. Just say what you mean.”

Vereesa unfolded her arms, reaching forward and lightly tapping the end of Sylvanas’ nose, “You like her.”

Sylvanas blinked several times, barely managing to splutter out, “I-I-I-I do not! Jaina is…”

Vereesa cackled with laughter, starting to walk away from her sister, “You’re not a very good liar, Sylvanas. And I didn’t even say her name.”

Sylvanas felt her cheeks start to burn, embarrassment written all over her face. She quickly checked her surroundings, thankful there weren’t any onlookers and realised they were barely a street away from her home. She surged forward, grabbing Vereesa by the arm and dragging her down the street.

“Ow, okay, I’ll come with you!” Sylvanas didn’t let go, moving all the way to her house before half-shoving Vereesa through the door once she’d unlocked it and slamming it behind them.

Sylvanas leaned against the door, breathing heavily. She turned around, sliding to the floor, staring at the ground dejectedly, “Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?” Sylvanas pulled off her hood, leaning her head back against the door.

“Should I start listing, or?” Sylvanas narrowed her eyes at Vereesa, the other Elf smiling before taking a seat next to her. Vereesa put her arm around Sylvanas, pulling till her sister lay her head on her shoulder, “I wouldn’t worry about it. She’ll only be here for a month anyway. What’s the likelihood you’ll even see her again?”

Sylvanas couldn’t deny the logic of her sister’s words. She’d already come to the same conclusion herself. Given how large Azeroth was and how far away Jaina lived and how far her homeland was, there was very little chance she’d ever see her again after this month. But… if she was _with_ Kael, that provided a reason for her to keep coming back. Something Sylvanas certainly didn’t need.

“What about Kael’thas? Surely she’ll keep coming back for him?”

Vereesa nodded, “True. But I doubt it’ll be for extended visits like this. Jaina doesn’t seem like the type to be tied down to any one place.”

Sylvanas chuckled at that, “No, she’s far too curious for her own good.” She quieted down, her voice coming out small, “I may have made an error.”

“And what would that be?”

“Promised Jaina I’d go to the ball.”

Vereesa’s sharp intake of breath confirmed the folly of that promise, Sylvanas’ ears falling at the same time. Vereesa thought over this for a few moments, trying to think of a way out of it. Aside from an attack on Silvermoon, there wasn’t another reason that could possibly pull Sylvanas away from this particular social event. And she knew her sister’s proclivity for sticking to her word no matter what, so there wasn’t any point in even trying to talk her out of it.

“Do you remember the last time you went to one of these balls?”

Sylvanas snorted, her spirits brightening slightly. That particular event was almost thirty years ago, “I believe I do yes.”

“You got… well drunk doesn’t really do justice to what that was, but it’ll do. You got so drunk that you sat in the corner and were giggling for hours, about what we could never figure out.” Sylvanas smiled to herself at the extremely hazy memory, “And I do believe that was at a time when Kael’thas fancied you as a candidate for his bride.”

Sylvanas almost gagged at the one bad part of that memory, “I recall, yes.”

“And what did you do at that ball, while unbelievably sloshed?”

“I respectfully asked him to please leave me alone for the evening, as I was not in a fit state for company.”

“Amazingly, yes. I was genuinely impressed that night. You kept your mouth shut and somehow maintained decorum in a state that should have afforded you none.” Vereesa snickered, “It didn’t help that you shot him two days after when he wouldn’t leave you alone.”

“Not one of my finer moments, I’ll admit. Though it did send the desired message.”

“So… if you are able to stave off the advances of such a persistent man as Kael’thas while in a state with almost none of your wits about you, surely you can survive one night near Jaina?”

“You’re right.” Sylvanas sighed, rubbing at her eyes, “It’s not even right for me to even think about Jaina that way.”

“Well no, but the heart wants what the heart wants.”

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow, a smirk upturning her lips, “I don’t think I’ve been thinking with my heart.”

Vereesa took her arm from around Sylvanas, shoving her sister lightly, “You had to make it weird.”

Sylvanas climbed to her feet, holding out her hand to Vereesa, “What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t make conversations weird?”

“A good one?” She took the offered hand, allowing herself to be pulled back to her feet.

Sylvanas laughed, “That sounds like too much work.”

Vereesa examined Sylvanas’ finally smiling face for a moment. There was none of the previous dejection at her situation, only acceptance. That surprised her immensely, well aware of her sister’s past refusal to give up on going after something she wanted. She cocked her head, “Are you ok now?”

“Much better.” Sylvanas paused, her expression turning contemplative, “I just realised something. I need a dress for the ball. I feel like my ceremonial armour isn’t particularly appropriate.” She clicked her fingers, “Wait! I’ll just wear the same one I wore last time.”

Vereesa narrowed her eyes, “You are not wearing a thirty-year-old dress to this thing.”

“It’ll be fine. I recall it turning a few heads last time.”

“It did, but it also might just fall off you with all the holes moths have likely chewed through it. I’ve seen your closet, Sylvanas. The only part of it not in complete disrepair is your armour.”

Sylvanas laughed, “Now that would certainly get everyone’s attention.”

“Not the sort of attention that you should be getting.” Vereesa strode to the door, “I’ll come get you tomorrow and we’ll go find a dress.”

Sylvanas crossed her arms, rolling her eyes, “Fine. Whatever you say dear sister.” She fanned out in a deep bow.

“Good. You’d do well to listen to me more often.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“Goodnight Sylvanas.”

“Goodnight, Little Moon.” The door shut behind Vereesa, leaving Sylvanas with her thoughts. She smiled to herself, properly relaxed for the first time since leaving Kael’thas’ estate. Maybe everything would be alright. If she could handle being the Ranger General, she could definitely handle one measly ball. At least she hoped.

* * *

**Great Library, Silvermoon City**

**Day 2 of Jaina’s Visit**

Jaina leafed through the tome open in front of her, marvelling at the wealth of knowledge this one book contained. She was near surrounded by bookshelves, towering towards the ceiling. The timber curved with the ceiling, the books on the shelves remaining fixed in place despite the fact they should have come crashing down to the floor below.

Every single inch was filled with another tome of ancient knowledge, on every subject Jaina could even fathom. She’d found their section on advanced magic, picking a tome at random and sitting at a small table. The current page detailed an intricate ritual to summon an empowered water elemental. The diagram on the next page had a rendition of it, the top of it flaring out with huge sections of ice sharpened to several razor thing points on both sides. It was far more advanced than the completely liquid version Jaina had only very recently mastered the summoning of. She’d definitely have to try this version while she had access to this particular volume.

Jaina pulled the text closer, running her fingers over the drawing, marvelling that her fingers actually came away with a sheen of ice. Even the books in this library were enchanted.

Kael’thas had shown her to the library early in the morning, Jaina insisting this be her first stop on the quest for knowledge while she was in Silvermoon. He’d seemed somewhat disheartened by her suggestion, but had shown her here nonetheless. To Jaina’s great surprise however, he’d left her alone very soon after arriving. To do what, she wasn’t sure. There hadn’t been any High Elf running up to him to tell him of something that he had to deal with like the day before, and he had said that very morning he had nothing particular to do that day.

Jaina was glad of the solitude, no matter the reason for it. While she enjoyed having someone to teach her or to learn with for the more practical side of her magical abilities, the studying was best done alone. She’d found she understood it far better just reading volumes written by people, who were usually long dead, rather than have it explained to her. Antonidas had been the only teacher she’d had who had caught onto this particular method of her learning quickly, only deigning to interrupt her studies when he felt the need to test her. Jaina didn’t mind those intrusions, allowing her to actually see that she was learning everything she was reading. Of course, she always got every question he asked right, but that didn’t stop their usefulness.

The Human stopped reading, staring down at the page. Jaina realised she’d been reading these same blocks of text for at least half an hour. She lifted her head, shaking it slightly to try and clear the fog that seemed to have descended over her mind. She tried to recall exactly the ritual for the summoning, coming up with a near blank. How hadn’t she learned any of it? Jaina began again from the top, all of it as though it was completely new knowledge. Her mind had been drifting for far longer than she’d thought.

She sat back in her chair, rubbing at her eyes. She’d been in the library for nearly half the day at this point, time enough for anyone to get distracted by stray thoughts. At least, that’s what Jaina told herself. The images of golden locks, deep blue eyes, pointed ears and that infuriatingly beautiful smile that were flitting through her mind every so often definitely had nothing to do with it.

Jaina blinked several times, almost startled at the thoughts of Sylvanas. The Ranger General had far more effect on her than she was expecting, despite the short time they’d spent together. There was something about her that Jaina couldn’t quite put her finger on just yet. She hoped to find out exactly what that was at the ball. Or what she both hoped and dreaded it was. She hadn’t felt this way since…

Jaina’s heart began to beat faster as realisation dawned on her. She hadn’t felt anything like this since Arthas. This connection, this want, this _need_ to be near someone. Every moment she wasn’t focused on something filled with thoughts of that person. This wasn’t nearly at the level she’d felt for the Prince of Lordaeron, but it was the only thing she could compare it to. What if this was her second chance? What if this was her _last_ chance?

No. She couldn’t think like that. Not about Sylvanas. There were only about a million things in the way of anything happening and Jaina couldn’t risk any of them. Not without risking nearly everything she’d worked for her entire life. Happiness was never something that was really in the cards for her when it came to picking someone to be with. Arthas had been a complete surprise, that she actually had fallen in love with him as well as being an ideal match for her according to her parents was nothing short of a miracle. Even if she could have anything with Sylvanas, which she wasn’t even sure she wanted, she could say definitively say that neither Admiral nor the elder Lady Proudmoore would come even remotely close to approving of this particular match. If it could even be called that after only one day.

Jaina tried to return to her reading but once again found that nothing was sinking in. She groaned, forehead falling with a thud into the centre of the book.

“What did that book ever do to you?”

Jaina jumped up with a start, leaping to her feet and spinning to face the speaker. She just managed to stammer out a greeting, “Vereesa!” She immediately regretted the almost shout, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you approach.”

The High Elf smiled, moving to take a seat across from the mage, motioning for her to sit back down, “That’s quite alright. I’ve been told I move alarmingly quietly. Has made my work as a Ranger easier.” She grinned, leaning forward with a conspiratorial raise of her eyebrows, “Makes for good opportunities to scare people.” She leaned back, “Though of course, I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

“And now I hope you never do try to.” Jaina closed the book in front of her, pushing it further onto the table, “My brothers always used to try to scare me, until I set Tandred’s hair on fire.” Vereesa laughed heartily, “Not on purpose of course.”

“Of course not. I’ll be sure not to try then. I happen to be quite fond of my hair how it is.” Vereesa stared across the table at Jaina, the mage squirming slightly under her gaze. Her mind raced with thoughts of what exactly Sylvanas had seen in this young woman. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, golden hair and high cheek bones. Sparkling, icy blue eyes. But that couldn’t be all there was. She’d very rarely seen her sister so taken with someone after this short a time frame, and that was generally only on a physical level. Sylvanas had never had what could be called a partner for more than a month or two. There had to be something else.

Jaina timidly asked her next question, unsure of the gaze being levelled at her, “Can I help you with anything? I’m not sure how much help I’ll actually be, but…”

Vereesa shook herself from her assessment, blinking a few times, “Oh, no. I just came to ask a question.”

“A question?”

“Red or green?”

Jaina’s expression screwed up with confusion, trying to think of any possible reason for a question like this, “Sorry?”

Vereesa simply repeated the same three words, “Red or green?”

“Uhhh… green.”

Vereesa surged to her feet, clapping her hands together, “Wonderful!” She began to move away before turning back to face the young Human, “I look forward to seeing you at the ball, Lady Proudmoore.” She bowed deeply, coming back up with a smile.

“You too…” Jaina stared after the silver-haired High Elf as she rounded the corner of one of the bookshelves, disappearing from both sight and hearing. She continued to puzzle over the strange question, coming up with a complete blank on what it could possibly have been about.

* * *

**Prince Sunstrider’s Estate, Silvermoon City**

**Day 4 of Jaina’s Visit**

Jaina sorted through her trunk, pulling various options from it and tossing them onto the bed nearby. Every single garment she’d pulled out so far hadn’t been right, for one reason or another. She wanted to get the perfect one, needed to find it.

The dress she’d originally brought to wear to the ball floated off to the side, suspended by her magic. The moment she’d released it from her trunk, she knew it was wrong. She had no idea why she’d even thought that was the right one to wear. It was the exact dress she’d been wearing when Arthas had ended their relationship, sans the fur lining around the neckline. What had possessed her to even bring it, she’d never know. Even the garment held too many memories, too much of a reminder of the love she’d given and lost while wearing it.

Vereesa’s question from two days before still echoed in her mind, still trying to decipher what had possessed her to ask such a seemingly unimportant question. Why did it still plague her thoughts? What did it mean? Nevertheless, aside from the memories the dress floating near her brought back, it was green. She had a nagging feeling she shouldn’t wear green to the ball, no matter how fine the dress itself was.

Finally, she found it. Jaina pulled the dark fabric from her trunk, moving to the mirror and holding it up against herself. The deep blue garb shimmered as she twisted side to side, enchanted to leave almost a ghostly afterimage of itself with every movement. She held it out in front of herself, inspecting every inch. Jaina waved her hand, the dress suspending itself in mid-air, allowing her to move around it in a circle. A thin gold chain at the top would fasten it around her neck, a deep-v in the front perhaps a touch too revealing, but Jaina was certain it would be fine. It was almost backless, the fabric returning about three-quarters of the way down. The skirt would be relatively loose about her legs, flaring out at the bottom, allowing the shimmering enchantment to have its desired effect.

There was a hard knock at her door, Jaina almost jumping into the air at the suddenness of it. She quickly moved to it, opening it just slightly ajar.

“Jaina.” Kael stood just on the other side, resplendent in red and gold robes. The shoulders flared out to the side in typical High Elven fashion, sharpened to a lethal gold point. Even Jaina had to admit that he looked good, “We’ll be departing in just under an hour. Are you nearly ready?”

“Almost. Just need to put on my dress and a few other things.”

Kael smiled and nodded, “I’ll be in the foyer when you’re ready.” He turned on his heel and marched away, Jaina sticking her head out the door completely and watching him go. He seemed rather pleased with himself for some reason. She hadn’t ever seen him like this before, and it almost gave her a bad feeling. He was being pleasant, and his expression had betrayed none of what he might be thinking. Jaina had thought herself relatively adept at reading his emotions, but perhaps she was wrong about that. Or he was doing a better job at hiding them. Or perhaps, and she knew this wasn’t the case, he was just being genuinely nice without any other ulterior motives.

She swallowed as she shut the door again, looking back at the dress she’d chosen. Was it the wrong one, given Kael’s obvious desire for something more from her? The garment suddenly looked scandalous in Jaina’s eyes as it rotated in the air, knowing exactly the kind of thoughts it was going to give the Prince and what assumptions he may make from the fact that she chose to wear it. She wasn’t wearing it for him, or for anyone but herself, but she couldn’t rely on him to know that or even intuit it.

Jaina shook her head, a determined look crossing over her face. She stared at the dress, resolute in wearing it. She wouldn’t let Kael or anyone have that much control over her. If he tried anything, there would be hell to pay. While she hadn’t made her lack of feelings for him exactly clear in the past, she would if he made her. And if she was right about what he’d planned for that night, she may be forced to do just that. In front of every single noble in this entire city if it came down to it.

The sorceress moved to her bed, sliding out of her robes and waving her hand. The blue dress flew across the room, slipping over her head and resting either end of the golden chain in her waiting palms. She fastened it underneath her hair, fanning the long locks out before sitting down at the small vanity near the bed. Jaina looked over her appearance in the mirror, trying to decide if she needed anything else.

She looked across at the desk on the other side of the room, eyes coming to rest on a thick tome she’d borrowed from the library the day before. With a small flick of her fingers, it came to rest in her hands. Something she’d read came to mind, flipping it open to the relevant page. Her lips stretched into a smile as she read over the instructions a few times.

Jaina turned back to the mirror, propping the book open to the side, eyes glancing sidelong at it a few times to ensure she was going to do it right. She didn’t want to get this wrong, the text making it clear that it could cause moderate to severe injuries if she did. That would make attending this ball rather hard.

Her fingers twisted in the air in front of her, muttering an incantation as she let her magic flow through her. Crystals of ice began to form, connecting in an intricate pattern. Two arms extended out to the sides, the ice diminishing down to a razor-sharp point on both sides. The middle of the magical construction grew upwards, ending at another point.

Jaina cut off her magic, plucking her creation from the air before it could fall and shatter against the vanity. She rotated the tiara she’d made, grinning at her first attempt. The edges were a little sharp to actually wear, almost pricking her finger as Jaina felt around them. Wearing this version would likely begin to prick open her skin if she moved in the wrong direction. She produced small flames in her hands, melting the tiara before heating it even further and evaporating all of it away.

The mage read over the page one last time, holding her hands carefully on either side of her head. She began the ritual again, a tiara this time forming in her hair. Jaina paid special attention to ensure this one wasn’t as sharp as the last. It nestled in amongst her hair, poking up out of it several inches. She felt it just lightly touch both of her ears, sending a shiver down her spine. She finished the incantation, casting one more spell to harden it and prevent it from melting during the night. Jaina gently took hold of the freezing jewellery, moving it so that it only touched her hair instead of the sensitive skin of her ears.

Jaina looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the way the ice caught the light and refracted onto her hair. She lifted small diamond earrings from the vanity, hanging a short way down from her lobes by thin pieces of gold. A golden necklace adorned with a large pearl at the bottom nestled against the top of her chest, finally completing her look for the evening.

She stood to her feet, twirling in front of the larger mirror a few times and grinning at the way the skirts fluttered about her. Their magical effect made the air hazy with the blue fabric, looking as though she was moving a great speed without actually doing so. Jaina nodded at herself in the mirror, almost floating out the door.

Jaina made her way through the halls of Kael’thas’ estate, following the map she’d drawn in her mind. She now knew exactly where everything in the large building was, navigating it as though she’d been living here for years. That would never be the case, but it didn’t hurt to know.

Kael’thas’ turned at the clicking of her heels against the marble floors, lips parting slightly as a breath escaped when he beheld Jaina fully. His eyes tracked down her body, taking in everywhere the blue hugged her curves, returning to hold her gaze. They didn’t linger for long, flitting to the icy tiara adorning her golden hair. He stood still, marvelling at the creation.

“You look beautiful, Jaina. That tiara is a masterpiece of magic, impressive.” The words ‘ _for an apprentice_ ’ lingered through the air, Jaina knowing that while Kael had enough tact not to say it, he definitely meant it, if the look on his face was anything to go by.

“Thank you. I read about it yesterday and thought I’d give it a go.” She took a final few steps towards him, leaving at least a metre of space between them, “Are we ready to go?”

If Kael noticed how Jaina had stopped short of him, he didn’t mention it nor did he let it show in his demeanour, “Yes. Follow me.”

The Prince’s robes swished around him as he marched through the estate’s doors, Jaina walking beside him. They came to the edge, a carriage awaiting pulled by two pure white horses. Jaina marvelled at how they seemed to radiate their own light, glowing in the night air.

Kael’thas opened the door, turning to offer Jaina his hand inside only to find her petting one of the horse’s snouts. “We really must be going, Jaina. We shouldn’t be late.”

Jaina shot a glance at Kael for his commanding tone, the Prince smiling back as if he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary. She made no mention of it, moving and climbing inside the carriage, climbing in too fast for him to be able to offer a helping hand. She made sure to sit right in the middle of one side, a flash of minor annoyance on the High Elf’s face as he climbed in after her and sat opposite. She needed to stay one step ahead of him all night, this much she was determined to do. She didn’t need any surprises, especially at such a public gathering.

“This ball is truly a sight to behold. Wonderous really. Displays of magic that no one on Azeroth can match. And the most divine foods you’ll ever taste. Wine flowing endlessly.” Kael sighed, lost in his thoughts.

“It does sound rather wonderful. I’ve been really looking forward to it.” Jaina couldn’t help the smile on her face. She’d meant every word; she really was looking forward to the ball. She had since Kael’thas had told her about it. She wasn’t entirely thrilled that she was going with him, but that was something she could deal with. Especially if she got to see Sylvanas again.

Jaina shook her head, banishing thoughts of the Ranger General from her mind. She couldn’t keep thinking about her like that. And besides, Sylvanas likely didn’t even see her like that. The Elf was at least a century older than her, the life she’d lived and the things she’d seen Jaina could only dream of. What would she ever want with someone as young and naïve as Jaina?

She turned to look out the window, watching as the streets of Silvermoon passed by. High Elves walked along the street, going about their business, many likely returning home. Jaina knew that none of them would have been invited to this ball and felt a slight pang of guilt for having scraped in simply because their Prince had taken a fancy to her. She’d felt this sort of guiltiness all her life, first as the daughter of the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras and once more when she arrived at Dalaran and was treated far better than the other apprentices. There was always something that had propped her up over other people, somehow implying she was better than them. While Jaina had her own opinions about her magical ability, she knew the rest of her was as normal as the next person. She didn’t feel like she deserved any special treatment and yet here she was.

The Royal Palace came into view, the walls ascending skyward and tapering up into elegant towers. The building was even more breath-taking than the rest of Silvermoon now that Jaina could see it up close. She wondered if there would be time to explore it while she was in the city.

She was tempted to ask Kael’thas right then and there, but the carriage suddenly stopped, the Prince opening the door and climbing out. He was quick this time, offering his hand before Jaina could get out by herself. She took it, not wanting to seem impolite, stepping down out of the carriage.

Jaina immediately noticed High Elves filtering into the building shooting glances her way, some muttering about the fact that the Prince had arrived with a Human. Others were complimenting her dress while still others were admonishing her for wearing something quite so revealing. Jaina could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment under their gazes, starting to want the ground to open up and swallow her.

“I believe you should all get inside. The festivities will be starting soon.” Kael’thas’ voice rang out over the area, every High Elf immediately following his command and moving inside. The edge in his voice hadn’t been something Jaina had been expecting. He’d done that for her benefit and nothing else, “My apologies Jaina. Some of my subjects are rather rude when talking to guests, especially when they think I can’t hear them. I’ll ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Thank you, Kael, though I can handle myself. Some of the other mages in Dalaran learned that lesson the hard way.”

Kael laughed heartily, offering his arm, Jaina placing her hand only just barely in the crook of his elbow, “I would’ve payed to see that. They do need to be taken off their high horse sometimes.”

_So do you_ , words passed unsaid through Jaina’s mind as she let Kael lead her inside the palace. Her eyes travelled around the foyer, amazed at the finery in just the first room. They were soon beyond it, Kael whispering something to another High Elf in front of large double doors. He disappeared through them, Kael and Jaina standing there awkwardly for a few moments.

The doors were flung open, Kael’thas confidently striding through with Jaina lagging behind just a step.

The announcer bellowed at the top of his lungs over the ballroom, “Presenting Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider of Quel’Thalas and his companion,” Jaina’s brow creased at that particular summation of her. She’d make sure to correct Kael on calling her that, “Lady Jaina Proudmoore, daughter of the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras and apprentice to Archmage Antonidas of the Kirin Tor.”

The pair strode to the top of the stairs leading down to the ballroom proper. The sight took Jaina’s breath away almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. The Ball

**Shopping District, Silvermoon City**

**Day 2 of Jaina’s Visit**

“Is this really necessary Little Moon?”

Vereesa pushed Sylvanas with some force, almost having to pick her up to get the Ranger General into the shop, “As I said yesterday, yes, it is. You are not showing up to this thing naked.”

“Oooo, now there’s an idea.”

“Ugh.” The younger elf was becoming more annoyed with her sister by the second, gritting her teeth to stop herself from yelling at her, “Just get in the shop.”

“Fine, fine.” Sylvanas stopped resisting almost immediately, forcing Vereesa to throw her hand out against the frame of the shop’s door to prevent herself from falling over. She narrowed her eyes at her grinning older sister, letting a breath from pursed lips and blowing hair out of her face.

The two Rangers entered the shop, every wall covered in dresses of every style imaginable. Vereesa had assured Sylvanas this was the best place in the entire city to find what they needed for the ball. Sylvanas had argued that her armour would be perfectly fine, all it needed was a good polish. Vereesa had immediately shot her down and told her in no uncertain words that she would be wearing a dress to this event or she wouldn’t be going. That had taken the grin off her elder sister’s face. Despite the misgivings Sylvanas still had about even going to the ball at all, she couldn’t break her word to Jaina, even if she was only going to fulfil her promise then avoid Jaina for the remainder of the time the Human would be spending in the city.

“How may I… help you…” The words fell silent on the store’s owner, staring wide-eyed at the two women who’d just walked into her shop. She immediately crossed to the front door, shutting and locking it, much to the confusion of the two Rangers. She took half a second to compose herself before turning around with a wide smile on her face, “Lady Windrunners, how may I help you?”

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow ever so slightly at her sister, unsure of how to react to the sudden closing off of the only exit in the store. Luckily, Vereesa seemed to be used to this kind of treatment, “My sister needs a dress for the ball at the Royal Palace. As this is the finest establishment in Silvermoon for such requirements, I thought I’d bring her here for your expertise.”

“You are too kind, Lady Windrunner.” She turned to Sylvanas, making eye contact with her, “Do you have any preferences for style or perhaps colour, Ranger General?”

Sylvanas screwed up her brow in thought, honestly having absolutely no clue what to even say to that question. All of her armour followed essentially the same colour pattern, blue-green plate pieces and brown leather. She pictured those particular colours on a dress in her mind, shaking her head at the thought of them. While it may have worked on armour, it looked horrendous on a dress. She recalled the dress she’d worn thirty years ago, a deep red that had paired very well with several pieces of ruby jewellery she still owned, “How about re-”

“Green.” Vereesa interrupted her sister, sounding far too sure of her answer, “Specifically emerald. Floor length skirts, sleeveless.”

Sylvanas tried to get a word in, “Bu-”

“And possibly some gold accents, preferably in a pattern flowing down the dress.” Vereesa talked right over her sister. The store’s owner nodded, jotting each point down on a note pad she’d pulled from somewhere as Vereesa rattled them off, “And keep the skirts in fairly tight, not too flared out.”

“A mermaid style, Lady Windrunner?”

“Exactly. Backless, until halfway down. Give it some structure around my sister’s, ahem, assets. Push them up a little.”

“Vereesa!” Sylvanas could feel the colour coming to her cheeks and the tips of her ears begin to burn at her sister’s uncouth language about her body.

Vereesa rolled her eyes at her sister, “What? If you’ve got it, flaunt it!” She turned back to the waiting dressmaker with a grin, “Golden accents along the top of the bust as well.”

“Excellent. Anything else?” She seemed to be completely ignoring Sylvanas now, focused on her sister’s ideas for the dress.

“That should cover it.”

“Of course.” She finally turned to the golden-haired Elf, “If you would please come to the fitting rooms out the back, Ranger General. And remove your armour if you wouldn’t mind.”

Sylvanas nodded, waiting till the Elf had disappeared through the door at the back, turning to her sister with a suspicious glare and arms crossed over her chest, “Am I allowed to choose anything for my own dress?”

Vereesa wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders, turning her to the back of the shop, “Come now sister, you yourself have admitted that your fashion sense isn’t exactly your greatest asset.”

“I don’t even get to pick the colour? I happen to quite like how I look in red. Why does the dress have to be green?”

The younger High Elf snickered at her sister’s pout, “Trust me, you’re going to want it to be green.”

“But red is-”

“Trust. Me.”

Sylvanas cocked her head at the sudden serious tone in Vereesa’s voice. She was almost immediately overcome with a deep suspicion of her sister. She knew something, something that she was pushing Sylvanas towards. Even though she should have seen Vereesa earlier in the day to give her orders as the leader of the Rangers, Vereesa had shown up out of nowhere at the Rangers’ headquarters and stole Sylvanas away in the late afternoon. Sylvanas had no idea where she’d been all day.

She sighed, choosing not to question her sister. Vereesa was right, her fashion sense was practically non-existent. The red dress she’d worn at the last ball had been selected by their mother, who’d also scolded her second eldest daughter quite severely for her behaviour that night. A sad smile crossed her face at the thought of her mother.

“Alright, fine. Green it is.”

“Good.”

Sylvanas was soon standing near naked atop a small pedestal, the owner of the store fussing about her, making different measurements and jotting them down on her note pad. The Ranger General stared at the ceiling, becoming increasingly uncomfortable as the process dragged on. She had thought her dress would come from one of the myriad choices in the front room but Vereesa had insisted it be an entirely custom ensemble. Why her sister was insisting on such an expense on something Sylvanas would likely only wear once was beyond her.

The dressmaker moved Sylvanas’ hair out of the way for the umpteenth time, “Will you be wearing your hair up or down? I can create some matching fabric or metal ties for it as well if you would like.”

“Down.” Sylvanas answered quickly before Vereesa could even think of getting a word in. She hated having her hair tied up in any way, preferring to let it flow free, even if it was a bit of a hassle with how much of it she actually had, nearly reaching her waist as it did.

The store owner took a step back, glancing back and forth a few times between her notes and Sylvanas, “Alright, I think I’ve got everything. Are you ready?”

“Ready?”

The dressmaker didn’t really wait for an answer, her hands moving in complicated patterns in front of her. A deep green fabric began to appear about Sylvanas’ body, soft silk draping over her hips and slowly making their way up to cover her chest. It finished a little lower than Sylvanas was expecting, quickly encircling her body and pushing her breasts together and up slightly. She could feel it tighten around her chest and back, form fitting but not too tight. The skirts splayed out briefly before cinching inwards and hugging her hips and thighs before flaring out a little past her knees. Gold filigree edged down every line, accentuating the emerald colour even further.

Sylvanas could see out of the corner of her eye tiny portals appearing above waiting materials, the components of her dress disappearing through them before appearing on her. The magic practically thrummed through the air, charging it and dancing across her entire body.

The shop owner’s movements slowed, all the tiny portals blinking shut and Sylvanas’ dress fluttering back down to hug her figure properly. She looked down, admiring even the small bit she could see from her current vantage. Just as she began to bend over to admire it more, the dressmaker was at her side, holding her forehead up from going any further down.

“Wait for a moment please.”

The woman disappeared, leaving Sylvanas and Vereesa alone in the room. Sylvanas stood still, waiting for her to reappear. She glanced at her sister, Vereesa’s eyes travelling up and down her body, a slight look of amazement in her eyes, “You look beautiful, Sylvanas.”

Sylvanas rolled her eyes, not entirely believing her sister, “What for though? Why did you go to all this trouble for me, Vereesa?”

Vereesa knew she couldn’t reveal her full reasoning, “You’re my sister, I’d do anything for you. And you deserve to be happy.”

“Happy? How will a new dress make me happy? You know I hate these stupid events, and making myself eye candy for all those nobles isn’t exactly what I call fun.”

Vereesa suddenly became serious, “Do you trust me, Sylvanas?”

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow at the question, unsure of why her sister wanted or needed to ask but answered nonetheless, “With my life.”

“Then trust that I think this will make you happy.”

The Ranger General crossed her arms, exhaling roughly upwards and blowing a few strands of hair from her brow, “Okay, fine. You win. I hope you’re right though.”

“I will be.” Vereesa winked, “Trust me.”

The shop’s owner returned, pushing a large flat mirror. Sylvanas was confused as she gazed at it, it’s surface completely non-reflective. She glanced at her sister, only met with an expression just as confused as hers and a shrug. Sylvanas turned back, waiting for something to happen. The dressmaker moved back to Sylvanas, looking over the dress thoroughly and making a few adjustments here and there.

“And done.” The High Elf moved away, briefly looking over Sylvanas one last time before turning to the mirror. With a flick of her hands, every mage light in the room brightened and the mirror appeared, the reflection instantly appearing.

Sylvanas froze as she took in every inch of the garment now draped over her body. The green fabric looked as though it was woven from actual emeralds, the gold accents made of real gold. For all she knew, it was. The dressmaker was a mage, so anything was possible. It hugged her body perfectly, accentuating her hips and lithe figure. Sylvanas could see a slight blush come to her cheeks as her eyes came up to her chest, lifted up exactly as her sister had asked. How Vereesa had known exactly the style to ask for was not a question Sylvanas wanted the answer to. The golden thread only served to make her hair seem even more like liquid gold, shimmering as she shifted her head side to side slightly.

“You… you really are the best.” Sylvanas couldn’t think of anything else to say. She’d never seen such a fine display of tailoring before, even if it was entirely accomplished my magic. That made it more impressive in her book.

The shop owner bowed her head at the compliment, “You are too kind Ranger General. I am grateful you would come to me for such an important occasion. Would you like me to arrange for the dress to be sent to your residence?”

Sylvanas numbly nodded, not entirely trusting her voice at that particular moment. Before she could react, the dress was gone and she was suddenly back in her armour, blinking a few times at the sudden change. The dressmaker nodded, walking off to the front of the shop with the dress floating behind her. Sylvanas shook her head slightly, looking to Vereesa, “What just happened?”

“You really need to get out more.” Vereesa smiled at her sister without more explanation, leaving her alone in the room.

Sylvanas stood there for a few more moments before following Vereesa to the front of the shop, nodding her head in thanks to the shop owner again and noting that her dress was nowhere to be seen. She quickly moved out onto the street, waiting for a few minutes before Vereesa finally stepped out with her. The sun had set while they’d been inside, Sylvanas calmly walking towards the Ranger’s main building with Vereesa in tow.

“It’s your turn to watch Prince Sunstrider tomorrow by the way.”

Vereesa turned with wide eyes, spluttering out “Wait, what? I did it yesterday! It’s only a once a week thing!”

“Normally you’d be correct, dear sister. But you also didn’t do any of your assigned duties today, so I’ve got to keep up appearances.” Sylvanas flashed Vereesa a wicked grin, “Can’t be seen playing favourites.”

“I had things to do! Important things that couldn’t wait!”

Sylvanas stopped walking turning to her sister with a raised eyebrow, “And what would those be?”

“I… uhhh… can’t tell you?” Vereesa tried her best to look as innocent as possible.

Sylvanas tapped her foot, seeing straight through her sister’s act, “Uh huh. Watching Prince Sunstrider it is.”

“Oh, come on, Sylvanas. Please? I’ll do anything but that.”

The Ranger General sighed, pinching her brow, “Well… I suppose you did help me with the dress. I’ll admit, it’s a lot better than what I had in mind.” She met Vereesa’s gaze once more, “Okay, you don’t have to watch Prince Sunstrider.”

“Yes! Thank-”

“But.” Sylvanas interrupted her sister’s celebration, “After the ball, because I can clearly see whatever you were doing was to do with that, you have to tell me what was so important. Deal?”

Vereesa grinned, “If I’m right, I’ll tell you during.” She held out her hand, Sylvanas taking it, “Deal.”

“Okay. I got a troublesome report before I came to meet you that I need to investigate. I’ll be out of Silvermoon until the day after tomorrow.” Upon Vereesa’s worried expression, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in time. I’m sure it’s nothing. Quick reconnaissance and I’ll be back.”

“You better be.”

Sylvanas pulled her hood up, walking backwards away from her sister, “Don’t you trust me Little Moon?” She laughed at the young High Elf’s expression, turning and striding out of sight down the street.

* * *

**Royal Palace, Silvermoon City**

**Day 4 of Jaina’s Visit**

Sylvanas stood at the furthest edge of the ballroom she possibly could, sticking close to Vereesa. They’d been some of the first guests to arrive at the palace for the ball and the Ranger General had already been bombarded by fifteen separate groups of nobles, eight of which had almost straight away inquired about her marital status. The other seven had insisted on complimenting her dress, Sylvanas attempting to deflect the comments away.

“I’m going to punch the next person who asks when I plan to get married square in the face.”

Vereesa chuckled, “While I would like to see that, please refrain from any physical violence. Being the Ranger General will only get you out of so many things.” She glanced at her elder sister, Sylvanas draining the full glass of wine in her hand in one go. She narrowed her eyes, memories of the last ball Sylvanas had been to surging back to the forefront of her mind, “And please don’t get drunk like last time.”

Sylvanas grinned, “You didn’t enjoy my antics? I happen to think it was pretty fun.”

The silver-haired elf sighed, “It was funny, but I also think you’re going to want to be sober this evening. At least enough so that you remember it.”

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes, “Is this part of those ‘important’ errands you needed to run?”

“Maybe.”

She crossed her arms over the front of the emerald dress, accepting her fate, “Fine. This better be worth it.”

“Oh, it definitely will be.”

The announcer at the top of the huge stairs called for quiet, the main doors of the ballroom opening to reveal two figures just out of sight, “Presenting Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider of Quel’Thalas and his companion Lady Jaina Proudmoore, daughter of the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras and apprentice to Archmage Antonidas of the Kirin Tor.” The entire room fell quiet as the pair approached the top of the stairs, the only sound the turn of every single guests’ clothing as they turned to face them.

Sylvanas felt her anger rising at that description of Jaina, clenching the glass in her hand hard enough that it began to crack under her grip. Even if she was with Kael’thas, calling her his companion was just insulting. She was so much more than that. So much better. Vereesa elbowed her lightly, the Ranger General finally turning to fully face the stairs. All anger drained in that one instant as her eyes settled on Jaina.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away. The blue gown Jaina was wearing was radiant, shimmering with every step she took down the stairs. It looked like it was made of the night sky, an echo of its movement passing through the air with every stair descended. The single-pearl necklace draped delicately over her neck bouncing ever so slightly against her pale skin with each step. The diamonds in her earrings reflected light beautifully, making them sparkle.

When Sylvanas’ eyes finally came to the top of Jaina’s head, she was truly blown away. The tiara nestled in her golden locks was like nothing she’d ever seen. She could tell it was made of ice, but not in any form she knew about. The pattern at the front of it was shaped beautifully, Sylvanas’ keen eyes picking up the anchor of Kul Tiras imprinted under the arcane eye of the Kirin Tor. The High Elf was once more greatly impressed by the young woman’s skill.

“Told you it’d be worth it.”

The whisper in her ear caused Sylvanas to spin to face her sister, her fury coming back to her full force, “Are you fucking kidding me, Vereesa?!” She hissed her words, trying to refrain from storming out one of the side doors and making a scene in front of every powerful person in the entire city, “This was the big important thing?! Why would you do this to me? You know she’s with the fucking Prince, so what was the point of all this?” Her hands swept down the emerald dress, “Dolling me up for what exactly? Getting my heart shattered into a million pieces?”

Vereesa had been expecting almost those exact words from her sister, remaining calm, knowing Sylvanas didn’t mean them. She just had to make her see what was right in front of her, gently placing her hand on her sister’s shoulder, “Sylvanas. Calm. Down.” Sylvanas took a few deep breaths through her nose, trying to calm the raging firestorm in her chest, shutting her eyes tightly, “Just wait, and you’ll see.” Vereesa couldn’t reveal exactly what she meant, Sylvanas needed to find it out on her own. It had taken a little bit for Vereesa to truly see it, but she was certain now. She just hoped Sylvanas would see it before the night was up.

Jaina plastered on a smile as she descended the stairs with the Prince, her mind already swirling with a speech she was going to give Kael about daring to essentially insult her in front of the entire city. She sincerely hoped no one was able see through her, see to the true feelings beneath the façade.

Not all of her attention was focused on getting back at Kael, still marvelling at the majesty spread out before her. Elegant banners hung from the walls; tables full of the most sumptuous food she’d ever laid eyes on covering the tables at the sides. Fountains dotted every corner, crystal clear waters bubbling merrily over their marble features. Every guest at the ball clad in radiant gowns, robes or suits; even the servants dotting the room in clothing befitting some royalty Jaina had met.

As the two of them reached the foot of the stairs, Kael’thas held his hand up for quiet amongst the very few conversations that had sprung up across the room. He waited until he had absolute silence, narrowing his eyes slightly at a servant still moving with a tray full of empty glasses. Once he had everyone’s attention, he began to speak, “Welcome, my most loyal subjects to this, one of the most joyous occasions of the year. Summer is upon us once more; the inclement weather of the past winter and nervous anticipation of spring are now behind us.” Jaina did her best not to roll her eyes at his honeyed and hollow words, “We should be thankful for the bounty our home provides us, and I’m sure you’ll all join me in welcoming all of the guests who are here tonight to celebrate with us.” He glanced warmly at Jaina with those words, Jaina only giving a slight nod and small polite smile in return. She almost thought he wanted her to say something to the assembled crowd, giving a small sigh of relief as he spoke once more, “Now that we’re all here, I can officially declare the night begun!”

Kael’thas shot his hands upward, releasing a few streams of arcane magic that twisted through the air before exploding into huge sparks high above their heads. Jaina couldn’t deny his skill, what were essentially fireworks without the gunpowder erupting near the roof. She noted that the ceiling itself didn’t seem to sustain any damage, tempted to ask how he’d managed that, considering the size of the explosions. She lowered her head to ask him just that only to find him standing a little over a foot away with his hand held out towards her.

“Lady Proudmoore, may I have this dance?”

Jaina tried to not let her trepidation show, placing her hand in his, “Of course, Prince Sunstrider.” As if on cue music filled the air from somewhere, Jaina glancing around but not seeing any instruments. Before she could have a proper look, Kael pulled lightly on her hand, her body moving into his embrace. His free hand rested just above her hip while hers went to his shoulder. To her great surprise, he did not pull her in any further, keeping a respectful distance between their chests.

Prince and Apprentice began to dance in the large central area, Jaina thankful for all the dancing lessons she’d been forced into by her parents and subsequently by her teachers at Dalaran. They’d said it was a necessary skill for someone in her position and despite her protests from when she was a young girl, it had turned out to be true. Other pairs soon joined them, though Jaina could feel everyone’s eyes on her and Kael. She tried to look around for the one person she actually wanted to see here, the Ranger General escaping her notice.

As they continued to dance, Jaina began to notice the looks they were getting. As she looked closer, she realised it wasn’t the looks _they_ were getting, it was the ones _she_ was getting. The dirty and hostile looks from the male nobles and downright murderous from some of the women. Jaina knew they would all be because she’d dared to arrive with the Prince and that he was paying attention to her and not them. The Human sincerely wanted to tell them that they could have him, that she had no intention of having anything to do with Kael, but she very much doubted even that would go over well.

Sylvanas watched from one corner of the room as Jaina glided around the room, mesmerised into silence by the way her deep blue fabric echoed through the air, unable to take her eyes from the Human. The way the light caught the icy tiara in her hair sent a kaleidoscope of colours over the golden locks. If anyone noticed her fixation, none of them were willing to comment. As inappropriate as she knew her attentions to be, nobles didn’t dare anger Sylvanas, fully aware of the position she held and how hard she could make their lives if she put her mind to it. The fact that she’d gotten away with shooting Kael’thas in broad daylight and in front of several dozen witnesses was enough of a reason not to test her. They didn’t need to know that she’d come very close to being exiled from Quel’Thalas for that particular incident.

Jaina avoided looking up at Kael’thas, feeling his eyes burning a hole into her. She knew that if she met them, she might say something she’d regret later, preferring to look to the side or down. Once the floor was full of dancing couples, Jaina subtly lead them towards the edge, letting Kael spin her on the way. She returned into his grip, finally on the edge of the area, slowing her movements until Kael took the hint and stopped as well. Jaina took a step back, curtsying to him and finally meeting his gaze, “Do you mind if we stop dancing for a little while? I’d like to try some of the food and wine.”

Kael’thas nodded with a smile, “Of course Jaina. Trust me, it shall be the best you’ve ever had.”

They moved to one of the tables, the Prince snapping his fingers once before a servant handed them both a glass of sweet wine. Jaina took a sip, almost moaning from how the flavour exploded over her tongue. Luckily, she stopped herself, smiling at Kael, “Wow, this is very good.” She took another sip, somehow a completely new flavour profile, “How…”

The Prince chuckled at her reaction, “Rather fascinating, isn’t it? Mana-infused wine. Causes some wonderful differences in flavour and allows for multiple different strains to be added into the same bottle without mixing into one another. One of my more fun innovations.”

Jaina glanced at Kael, “It is impressive.” She was about ninety-nine-percent certain he hadn’t invented the drink, recalling reading a tome on the very subject a few years before hand that had been written centuries before even Kael’thas had been born. Mana-infused food and drink wasn’t new, even Dalaran had it. It wasn’t used there as a refreshment, only as a cure for exhaustion. The Kirin Tor’s versions certainly didn’t taste like this. She’d never had cause to use them before, already feeling the effects as the magic in her veins crackled slightly, patches of ice advancing faintly over the surface of her glass. Jaina closed her eyes, focusing inwards and shutting off her magic before it went more out of control.

When she opened them, Jaina quickly noticed High Elves coming her and Kael’s way, swallowing at the looks of contempt and outright hostility in their eyes. She straightened herself up to her full height, still an inch or two shorter than even the next shortest person in the entire room, trying to look as commanding and worthy of respect as she possibly could.

The two newest guests of the ball were swarmed by nobles, Sylvanas catching snippets of their conversations as she stood almost leaning against a wall nearby, trying her best to not scream at her sister. What exactly she was supposed to see, she had no idea. And if her sister was wrong about whatever she thought she should wait for, Sylvanas wasn’t entirely certain what would happen. She trusted Vereesa with her life and beyond, but this felt like the icy dagger of betrayal straight through her heart. Why had she even told her sister about anything she thought of the Human mage currently being circled by High Elf nobles, she’d never know. But that trust was the only thing that was even keeping her in this room. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, needing to know what Vereesa wanted her to see.

What Jaina could’ve sworn was at least the fifteenth person approached her and Kael, “Prince Sunstrider, how wonderful to see you on this fine evening.” The noblewoman curtsied deep to the Prince, batting her eyelashes up at him. Her eyes met Jaina’s for the briefest moment, flashing with hostility before returning to the Prince, “I see you’ve brought a… Human, to one of our most revered days.”

Every single noble that had approached them had been like this. Extraordinarily polite to Kael’thas and throwing the most thinly-veiled insults Jaina’s way. Kael had entertained them all, not once correcting them or even admonishing them for daring to insult her as his ‘honoured guest’ that he had insisted she was. Despite having no intention of accommodating any of Kael’thas’ misguided affections, Jaina had thought he might at least try to defend her. She must have misjudged the Elf even more than she’d originally thought.

Jaina took a half step forward to put this woman in her place, interrupted by Kael’s chuckle, “Come now my Lady, there’s no need for that sort of talk. Jaina is here as my guest and partner.”

Whatever happy exterior she’d been trying to keep up vanished from Jaina in that instant. The rest of the insults she could deal with. But Kael using that particular word and lying about what they were to each other was the last straw. She breathed in and out evenly once to calm herself before tapping Kael on the arm, glaring up at him, “Could I please steal you away for a moment?”

Kael’thas smirked down at her, somehow not sensing anything was amiss, “Of course.” He turned back to the noble lady, his demeanour shifting to more proper and if Jaina was hearing right, more respectful, “If you would please excuse me, my lady.” He bowed slightly, turning to face Jaina and holding out his hand towards the open doors of a balcony nearby.

Jaina led them both out the double doors, letting the still warm night air rush over her skin, determined to finally tell Kael’thas what she really thought of him. She walked off to the side a little, trying to get away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. She waited until Kael stood near her, breathing in and out a few times to work up the courage for what she was about to do. Tell one of the most powerful men on the planet that she had absolutely no interest in him. This wasn’t exactly something she thought she’d ever had to do, but here she was and it had been a long time coming.

“Jaina. Are you alright? You seem a bit…” He trailed off as the sorceress whirled around, conjuring a small ice spike in her hand and placing it in the centre of the Prince’s chest, “Jaina, what are yo-”

Jaina’s voice came out sharply, cutting the Prince off immediately, “Let me make something _perfectly_ clear, Kael, since you seem to be unable to grasp it.” She took a step closer, pressing the point into his chest, “We are not partners. We are not together. In any way shape or form.” She took a step back, keeping the spike in her hand, “I have absolutely no interest in a relationship with you Prince Sunstrider, and I don’t care if you think otherwise. Frankly, the fact that you were still after me while I was with Arthas is downright pathetic. And don’t think for a second that just because I’m not in a relationship at the moment that it gives you the right to have me. You are not my Prince. You have no control over me.”

The rage practically radiated off the Prince, his eyes glowing more brightly as his magic surged forward with his anger, small spheres of flame appearing over his shoulders, “Who do you think you are? Telling _me_ to do _anything._ I am Prince Sunstrider, and in Silvermoon, my word is law.”

He took a step forward, Jaina instantly lifting her hands up and conjuring a huge icicle over her head, pointed directly at Kael’s heart, the air around them freezing with her power, “If you even dare to think of touching me again, Kael, or try to make out that we are anything more than friends, you’ll find this buried in your chest. And if you think I’m bluffing, you know me even less than I thought.”

The Prince grit his teeth, eyes flicking between Jaina’s threatening gaze and the chunk of ice currently threatening to end his tenure as Silvermoon’s Prince. He folded his hands behind his back, calming himself down within seconds and bowing, “Very well, Lady Proudmoore. I would like to sincerely apologise for the way I have been acting. I thought my affections were reciprocated, but it appears that I was mistaken. I have not acted in a way befitting my station and I realise that now. I humbly ask for your forgiveness if you are willing to give it.”

Jaina hesitated for a moment before releasing her magic, the icicle disappearing into thin air. She was still suspicious of Kael, but hoped that he was truly being sincere about what he said. She held out her hand, the Prince shaking it after a moment, “Thank you, Kael. I came to Silvermoon to learn and I still fully intend to stay for the whole time and would appreciate if you would assist me in my studies. If your schedule allows, of course.”

“I would be honoured to assist.” Kael genuinely meant that, finally starting to sense that Jaina held quite a bit of disdain for him, how he hadn’t seen it before now baffled him. He now knew she wouldn’t fully believe the sentiment, but it would be something he’d have to work on. His thoughts swirled with ways to convince her that he would be a good partner, quickly squashing them down before they got too out of hand. That was a problem for another time. The pair stood awkwardly for a few seconds before Kael’thas swept his arm back towards the balcony doors, “Shall we return to the ball?”

“Yes.” Jaina did not take his arm, the both of them returning to the ballroom a little more than a foot apart. Jaina could hear a few whispers among the guests about that fact but managed to ignore them. She was too pleased with herself, having finally put Kael in his place and would hopefully not have to endure his not so subtle advances any longer. She would make good on her threat if he did continue the same behaviours.

Sylvanas stood almost paralysed next to the balcony doors, just out of the returning mages’ line of sight. She’d already been standing nearby when they’d left, and moving just a little closer wasn’t that suspicious. She’d seen the look on Jaina’s face when she’d followed Kael out, barely contained rage hidden behind a façade of politeness. Sylvanas had needed to hear what could’ve possibly caused such a reaction from the young Human. She hadn’t been at all prepared for what she’d heard.

Jaina and Kael’thas… _Weren’t. Together_. Every plan she had for the next month to completely avoid Jaina flew out the window, along with her ability to speak for the time being. Thoughts she knew she shouldn’t be having rushed through Sylvanas’ mind, ideas she couldn’t put into action. Her eyes tracked Jaina across the room, sweeping over her form and taking in every minute detail she hadn’t allowed herself to see before.

Vereesa slid in silently to stand next to her sister, glancing at Sylvanas’ expression and smiling to herself as she saw the Ranger General’s mind going into overdrive. She leaned just slightly closer, whispering to her, “Told you this would all be worth it.”

The words snapped Sylvanas out of her trance, blinking a few times before turning her head to look at her sister. The younger Elf only grinned back, turning to look back out over the ballroom. Sylvanas’ voice came back to her, only just managing to stammer out, “You knew, didn’t you?”

“What did I know?” Vereesa thought she’d have a bit of fun with her.

“That they weren’t together.”

“That who weren’t?”

Either Sylvanas had gained an incredible amount of patience in the last hour or she didn’t realise Vereesa was trying to tease her, answering shyly, “Jaina and Kael’thas.”

Vereesa relented, realising she should probably stop teasing her, “Not at first, I’ll admit. I had my suspicions when we first met them both. Jaina seemed far too… reserved, in Kael’s presence. The second he left she almost sighed with relief. That’s what really got me thinking. I saw you two a few times that day. The way she was smiling… she was more comfortable in the presence of someone she’d met that day than the Prince’s. That almost confirmed it for me.”

Sylvanas blushed, looking away from her sister. Hearing out loud that she hadn’t been seeing things with how Jaina was acting was strangely comforting, “What, uh, convinced you completely?”

“I went to see her the day we got your dress, before I met up with you. She was in the library, reading some magical tome. I may have scared her a little when I snuck up on her, unintentionally of course. And I asked a question.”

“What question?”

“Red or green?” Sylvanas was utterly baffled about what that question could possibly tell Vereesa about Jaina’s love life. The younger Elf only grinned, “It’s a simple question, but the answer told me everything I needed to know.” She subtly pointed across the ballroom towards Prince and Apprentice, “What colour is our great Prince Sunstrider wearing?”

“Red.”

“And what colour is he literally always wearing?”

“Red.”

“If Jaina was truly with him, wouldn’t she have said red in answer?”

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow, not following Vereesa’s logic in the slightest, “That makes no sense at all Little Moon.”

“Doesn’t need to. I was still right.” She winked surreptitiously at Sylvanas.

“Wait…” Sylvanas realised something, “Is that why my dress is green?”

“It is indeed.”

“Then what if she actually had said red?”

“Still would’ve been green. You look far better in green anyway, trust me.” Vereesa paused for a moment, waiting to see if Sylvanas was going to make a move or not, “So… are you going to go talk to her, or do I have to drag you to that too?”

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes at her sister, “You do that and I’ll have you on border patrol for the next six months.”

Vereesa laughed in response, holding up her hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, I won’t make you go.” She laid her hand gently on Sylvanas’ arm, “But I really think you should go at least talk to Jaina. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Before Sylvanas could say anything in counterargument, Vereesa walked away, quickly disappearing into the crowded hall. The Ranger General stood in the same spot for several minutes, trying to think of how to approach this. She did want to go talk to Jaina; she really, really did. But she didn’t have any way to get the Human alone without drawing a god-awful amount of unwanted attention her way.

As she stood looking out over the ballroom, Sylvanas’ eyes slowly widened as an idea formed in her head. The sight of all the dancing couples took hold of her thoughts, smiling to herself as she thought of a way to be near Jaina, at least for a little while. She began to move around the edge of the room towards the Human, doing her best to stay out of Jaina’s line of sight.

The moment they’d stopped moving upon returning to the ballroom, Jaina and Kael had once again been swarmed by nobles. Jaina had noticed a shift in Kael’thas in how he was responding to certain things. When the insults were thrown her way, Kael gave each particular noble a hard glare, reminding them of their place. While he wasn’t truly defending Jaina, it was at least better than the laughing the words off that he had been doing before.

A queue had formed in front of the pair, Jaina seeing no end in sight. She was tempted to walk away and try to at least have some fun while she was here, but couldn’t seem to find a single opening in the throng of Elves waiting for Kael’thas and her.

A pair of nobles said their goodbyes, moving away with a backwards glance over their shoulders at Jaina. Jaina simply glared back at them before turning to the next person in line, eyes widening as she saw who it was.

“Ranger General.” Kael’thas’ greeting was practiced and cold, “I’m surprised to see you here. I didn’t think these events were exactly your scene.”

Sylvanas’ mind called to the forefront the etiquette her mother had drilled into her as a young girl, “Normally you’d be correct Prince Sunstrider, but I did give my word to someone that I would be here. And so, here I am.” She swept her arms out, giving a curtsey that somehow looked sarcastic, tossing her golden hair slightly.

Kael’s response came through grit teeth, “I see. Are you at least enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, much more than I thought I would. I assume you recall the last time I came to this particular event.”

Sylvanas could see the Prince shift his shoulder slightly, exactly where she knew the scar from her arrow to be, “I believe I do. You made quite the… spectacle.”

The Ranger General smiled, “I live to serve, your grace.” She turned her attention to Jaina, her smile becoming far kinder than a second ago, “Are you enjoying yourself, Lady Proudmoore?”

Jaina coughed, shocking herself back to attention and giving her time to actually find her voice, “Yes, it is all rather wonderful. I’ve been to a lot of balls before, but none like this.”

“They weren’t quite so formal when I was a little girl, but this does have its charms I suppose.” Sylvanas had delighted in this event as a child, held outside for all to attend. Displays of magic and wonderful food dotted the entire event, truly immersing the attendee in everything good about High Elven culture. That had changed when Kael’thas had taken over responsibility for them from his father, slowly trimming down the guest list till only the highest nobles were even allowed to attend. Sylvanas had only attended the one thirty years ago as a favour to her mother, swearing off them after that. She continued, “One thing has remained constant about it since then though.”

“What would that be?” Jaina’s entire attention was focused on the Elf in front of her, much to the chagrin of the Prince.

“Why, the dancing of course.” Sylvanas simply held out her hand, “Lady Proudmoore, may I have this dance?”

The world seemed to stop around her as Jaina’s eyes flicked between Sylvanas’ offered hand and her deep blue eyes. She could feel Kael’thas’ gaze boring into the side of her head, doing her best to ignore it. She remained still for a few seconds, just long enough to see doubt begin to cloud Sylvanas’ expression. Before that emotion could truly settle in, Jaina raised her own hand, placing it gently into Sylvanas’, “Of course, Lady Windrunner. I would be delighted.”

Relief crashed over Sylvanas like a tidal wave, worried for that brief instant that both her and Vereesa had completely misjudged their interactions with Jaina. She lowered their connected hands, turning in the opposite direction of Kael’s hard glare and leading Jaina towards the dancefloor.

Jaina couldn’t help herself, her eyes running up and down Sylvanas’ body as she moved with her. The emerald dress hugged and accentuated every curve, Jaina feeling a heat in her cheeks as she found herself staring at the Elf’s backside. Golden lines sparkled with every step she took, Jaina forcing herself to look up. Her eyes followed Sylvanas’ thick mane of hair, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. She could see the High Elf’s bare skin flashing every so often as the golden locks shifted this way and that.

Finally, they reached a spot Sylvanas deemed appropriate, turning to face Jaina and raising their joined hands, settling her hand on the Human’s hip. Jaina instantly noticed the point of contract was lower than Kael’s had been, almost moving it up before stopping herself. Unlike Kael’thas, she wasn’t afraid of Sylvanas’ intentions, partly due to the fact that she thought she might feel the same.

Jaina raised her free hand up, resting it on Sylvanas’ shoulder. The Elf grinned for a moment before leading Jaina through the first steps of the dance, keeping a respectful distance.

“Be honest with me.” Sylvanas broke the calm between them, “Are you actually enjoying yourself, or just pretending to for Kael’thas’ benefit?”

The Human’s eyes widened slightly at the question. Sylvanas could see right through her, “I… well, no. I wasn’t.” She looked away nervously, “But… things are looking up.”

“Oh?” Sylvanas grinned down at the mage in her arms, “And why would that be?”

Jaina saw no point in hiding it anymore, “You kept your promise.” She looked back up into Sylvanas’ eyes, warmth and kindness suffusing the air, “Prince Sunstrider isn’t… the greatest company.”

Sylvanas’ smile wavered slightly, trying to choose her words carefully, “I may have… heard you and him on the balcony.”

The mage swallowed, panic setting in, her hands shaking slightly, looking everywhere but at Sylvanas, “Oh… um… I didn’t think anyone would hear me. I kind of hoped no one would.”

Sylvanas could see a bead of sweat roll down Jaina’s forehead, quickly racing to reassure her, “Jaina, look at me.” The mage did as asked, “I once shot Prince Sunstrider in the middle of the street when he wouldn’t leave me alone for the very same reason. I’m one of the few people who might know something about how you’re feeling.”

Jaina’s mouth fell open in surprise, “You… you shot him?!”

The Ranger General chuckled, “Remember when I said one way to get respect was by threatening to shoot people?” Jaina nodded, “I knew it worked because it actually did for me. Kael’thas didn’t bother me again after that. He did do his best to get me banished after, but I’m resilient.” Her expression darkened, “The Prince doesn’t understand anything but threats of violence. His opinion of himself and his position is skewed too far to be convinced otherwise.” She breathed in slowly as she felt her heart rate rising from her anger, frowning guiltily at the mage, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so worked up about it.”

Jaina smiled, “It’s fine. I’m just glad someone else has the same opinion of him I do.”

Sylvanas nodded, “Not too many people get close enough to Kael to understand why I dislike him so much. I’m thankful you didn’t have to put your threat into action.” She swallowed heavily, “I do regret doing it myself, he just… wouldn’t listen.”

They continued to dance, moving smoothly across the room. They could feel eyes on them but only focused on each other.

After some time, Jaina spoke again, “Kael has been after me from years, maybe longer and I just didn’t notice. I don’t know what I did to get his attention exactly. Wouldn’t have done it if I’d known what it was.”

“Don’t do that.”

Jaina’s brow creased with confusion, “Don’t do what?”

“Don’t put the blame on yourself for his actions.”

“I’m not…” Jaina fell silent, thinking over her actions of the past few months and even the past years, “Oh…” She sighed, looking up into Sylvanas’ eyes, “Saw right through me.”

“You would’ve seen it too. You’re far too intelligent to not.”

Jaina was a little taken aback at the compliment, trying to formulate a response, “I think you might be giving me a bit too much credit. I’m not sure I would have ever seen what I was doing.”

“You think too little of yourself Jaina. You're smart, curious, kind,” Sylvanas' voice hitched ever so slightly that if Jaina hadn’t been paying as much attention as she was, she was certain she would’ve missed it, “Beautiful. Most of the people here don’t have any of that and think themselves better. I can tell you from experience, you're worth ten of anyone else here.”

Jaina grinned, “You’ve only known me for a few days. Judged me that quickly have you?”

The Elf winked, suddenly spinning Jaina under her arm away from her before spinning her right back until they were almost touching, a bare inch between them, resting her hand a bit further around Jaina’s back than before, “I’m a very good judge of character, yes.” Sylvanas grew a little bolder, glancing down a bit, “I’ve been meaning to say since you arrived, you look… breath-taking.” Her eyes drifted higher, settling on the tiara in Jaina’s hair, “And that tiara, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a masterpiece.”

Jaina blinked a few times, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, “Thank you, I made it myself. Took me a couple tries, but I got it eventually.” She could tell Sylvanas actually meant her compliments and didn’t expect anything from Jaina in return, unlike Kael’thas.

“You’ll have to show me sometime.”

The mage looked around, eyes tracking to the still open balcony doors, “How about right now?”

Sylvanas followed her gaze, both excitement and trepidation warring in her stomach at the thought of being alone with Jaina away from prying eyes. She looked back, the hope in Jaina’s expression too great to refuse, “Let’s go then.”

They carefully danced their way to the edge of the dancefloor before finally breaking free of it and subtly moving towards the doors. Sylvanas noticed how tightly Jaina was still holding onto her hand, seeming to not care who saw. They made it outside, quickly moving away from the opening and onto the far side of the balcony.

Jaina finally let her grip on Sylvanas’ hand loosen, reaching up and removing the tiara from her hair before holding it out to Sylvanas. The Elf took it gingerly, afraid that if she wasn’t careful, she’d end up breaking the delicate jewellery. She held it up close to her eyes, rotating it every which way and marvelling at the exquisite details.

“How did you manage to get all these tiny little details in? Every time I’ve seen magical jewellery it’s always been so basic and boring.” She moved a little closer to Jaina, holding the tiara in one hand while pointing to the symbols on the front, “I mean getting both the anchor and arcane eye on there, with that amount of detail…”

Sylvanas’ enthusiasm for her magic was a new phenomenon for Jaina. Dalaran was full of mages, so no one there was excited about any display of magic unless it had never been done before. Jaina had yet to accomplish anything like that. Her parents and brothers had shown some interest in her magical abilities early on but not nearly as much as the Elf just inches away from her was currently displaying.

“I just read the book on it.” Sylvanas looked at her, her expression shifting to one of disbelief, “Honestly! That’s all I did. Followed the instructions.”

“Vereesa did say she found you in the library.” She handed the tiara back to Jaina, the Human slowly putting it back into her hair.

Jaina looked at Sylvanas again, a realisation slowly coming to her mind, “Wait, it this why she asked that strange question?” She pointed up and down the Ranger General’s dress.

Sylvanas coughed and slowly nodded, “I believe so, yes. Do you, uh… like it?”

Jaina cocked her head to the side, training her expression to one of complete neutrality. She enjoyed the nervousness that she could see spreading over Sylvanas’ face as she inspected the emerald garment. The thoughts running through her mind were not neutral in the slightest. The Elf’s dress was stunning, perfectly crafted to suit her body and enhance every aspect of it. Jaina could feel her facial muscles start to betray her as she kept trying to fight off the smile threatening to spill over.

She finally couldn’t wait any longer, “Very much so. It’s beautiful on you.” She looked a little closer, having trouble discerning the fabric, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dress like it.”

“Neither had I until Vereesa took me to the shop. The owner made it from scratch right in front of me. Well, right _on_ me would be more accurate. Using portals and I assume other forms of magic. It was quite an impressive feat.” Sylvanas suddenly stood straight and clapped her hands together, “Right. I believe you said you would show me that tiara magic.”

Jaina laughed, “All right then. Face me and stand very still. I’m still a little new at this.”

Sylvanas grinned, “I trust you.”

The mage nodded, waiting until the Ranger General was in position and standing properly still before beginning. She lifted her hands to either side of Sylvanas’ head, passing barely an inch over her face before moving to the crown. Her fingers slowly started to move in the pattern she’d ready about, icicles beginning to form over Sylvanas’ hair. They began at each side, tracking gently through the strands before connecting in the middle, moving upwards and creating the proper shape for the tiara. After a minute, Jaina’s hands slowed, finally moving away and falling back down to her side.

Sylvanas could feel the slight cold of the ice radiating into her scalp, much less than she thought it would be. It wasn’t unpleasant by any stretch of the imagination. She reached up, fingers closing around the edges and taking it down to look at. She couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face, the tiara was even more intricate than the one Jaina was wearing. A bow and arrow were carved into the middle, standing in high relief to the rest of the headpiece. But it wasn’t just any bow and arrow, it was an exact copy of the one Sylvanas used while patrolling the streets and surrounds of Silvermoon. How Jaina had managed to remember every single detail was baffling.

“Thank you.” Sylvanas’ voice was almost a whisper, stunned at the mage’s skill. She’d always dreamed of having some sort of magical talent but it had never been in the cards for her. And every mage that she’d tried to talk to about it had brushed Sylvanas off as an annoyance. She’d stopped trying decades ago. None of them seemed to get the sheer enjoyment out of it that Sylvanas got. None until Jaina.

“Can I ask you something?” Jaina’s words came out quietly, trying to make utterly sure she wouldn’t be overheard.

“Anything.”

“Why did you offer to take me around the city? Surely you had more important things to do that day.”

Sylvanas mouth opened and closed a few times, pondering over the answer to that question. She finally answered, “There’s more than one reason. The first, but by no means the main one, was to annoy Kael’thas. I shot him thirty years ago and he’s never let me forget it.” A scowl broke out over her face, “In the eyes of a lot of people, I should’ve been banished from Quel’Thalas that day. No matter what he’d done to me.” She looked out over the balcony’s edge, “The second was that I thought you were _with_ him.” Jaina opened her mouth to speak, Sylvanas quickly continuing before she had a chance to say a word, “I needed to figure out if you were with him because you wanted to be or had been coerced. It wouldn’t be the first time. Hell, I was close to breaking before I shot him and I don’t even like men!” Sylvanas threw her hands up in the air with frustration before realising what she’d said, quickly looking away from Jaina to hide her expression. Her voice came out so quiet Jaina had to strain to hear it, “And I guess… the third reason is pretty obvious.”

Jaina remained silent for a while, trying to sort through everything she’d just heard. She hadn’t been imagining the times Sylvanas’ had looked at her with something beyond friendship. It was almost the same look that Kael’thas constantly sent her way. The difference being, when Kael looked at her it was with an authority and a command for her to be his, where Sylvanas’ was only a question, one that the answer to was entirely up to Jaina and no one else. Kael expected everything. Sylvanas only asked for something or nothing, only an answer, even if that answer was no.

Sylvanas turned away fully, ears dropping and voice turning sombre, beginning to make her way back to the doors, “I’m sorry, Jaina. Forget I said anything. Let’s just go back inside and enjoy the-”

Without really thinking on what she was doing, Jaina grabbed Sylvanas’ shoulder, spinning the High Elf back to face her. Her arms encircled Sylvanas’ neck, pushing herself up onto her toes and barely waiting for one instant before screwing her eyes shut and pressing her lips to Sylvanas’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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